And It Was So
by TheFirstWaltz
Summary: My first crack at NarutoxHinata. She was weird, there was no doubt about that. She always had a fever: whenever she was around him, her face was red. And then...a mission together? He didn't have time for people who were always sick! Completed finally .
1. Nothing

**Hi! So I was watching Naruto a bunch and I was thinking over an over, "Naruto, you IDIOT! Naruto, you freakin' IDIOT!" So I decided to write a fic! Here it comes: one NaruHina fanfic written waaaaaaaaay late at night!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…those people that draw it do….**

Chapter 1: At First There Was Nothing

_Come on! You can do better! _Hinata Hyuuga sprang back from the target she'd been charging at, and stared at the kunai she'd thrown into the wood. It was the third time that day that none of the knives hit the bulls eye. Hinata had to face it: for some reason, she was slipping. Not the kind of "it's-just-this-once" slipping, the "something-is-making-me-mess-up" slipping. Unfortunately, she knew exactly what was wrong. _He forgot my name again…_Taking a deep breath in the hope that it would make her focus more, Hinata began to walk towards the target to retrieve her weapons. Sometimes, she wondered why she was a ninja anyway. But every time three faces flashed across her eyes like accusations, each mouthing different things.

_My way as a ninja-_

_You should just give up Hinata-sama-_

_Try not to be a burden-_

Hinata wasn't doing this for her: she was doing it for her father, to carry on the Hyuuga legend, however badly she failed at it. And every, no, any time she even dared to think of quitting, his face, along with Neji-nii-san's and Naruto's would fight her battle for her. _Neji-nii-san thinks I'm useless; so does my father. But Naruto-kun believes in me, even if he can't remember my name all the time…so I have to get better. Focus! _She pulled the kunai from the target and turned away, intending to have another go at the target, but was shocked to discover someone grinning widely at her, his face too close for comfort.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Hinata-chan, can I use this target for a bit?"

"N-N-N-Naruto-kun!"

"Hm? You already said that. Can I?"

"Y-You're…you're…kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"

She couldn't stop herself: Hinata ran as fast as she could, battling unconsciousness and praying that she didn't run into someone. Somewhere faintly behind her, she heard a voice she was hoping not to hear yelling, "Hinata-chan! What's wrong? Ne ne, Hinata-chan, I didn't do anything, did I? Your weapons! Hinata-chaaaaaaaan!" And then Hinata realized she had left all of her ninja supplies, along with her jacket, back at the training ground. _Damn, not again…_Sighing and bracing herself for loss of consciousness, she spun around and returned to the target, where Naruto was waiting, waving one of her knives like a flag above his head. Skidding to a stop a safe five feet from the blonde boy, Hinata stammered, "C-can you throw my stuff to m-me, please?"

"Huh? But if I do that, I'll hurt you."

_Nice, you just asked Naruto-kun to throw knives at you. Focus! Get your things back!_

"Um, I'll be right there, j-just hold on one moment please!"

_Cross your arms or something! Without the jacket he'll notice-_

"Hinata-chan, why are you doin' that?"

"W-what?"

Naruto mimed her movements, slowly edging towards her with a perfectly copied face of determination and embarrassment that he was obviously picking up from her. He even pulled him arms to his chest like he too was trying to cover the fact that he'd forgotten to wear a tank top under his undershirt. Startled by his mimic, Hinata halted her cautious advance and tried to pull her arms to her sides. But her body had practically frozen with fear. _Hold your ground! You need your things! Pretend it's Kiba walking towards you! And whatever you do, DON'T MOVE YOUR ARMS OR FAINT! _Stiffly taking her things from Naruto's outstretched hands without moving her arms from her chest, Hinata bowed her head and mumbled quickly, "T-Thank you, Naruto-kun." But before she could turn and run, Naruto said, "Seriously Hinata-chan, quit it with the arms thing!"

In that one moment, he sounded so much like her father, Hinata automatically followed orders. Silence reigned over the two ninja as Naruto understood, quite too late, exactly _why_ Hinata had been covering herself up. He couldn't help it: he stared. _God…she's wearing that black shirt but I can see EVERYTHING…shit!…Look away-look-away-look-away LOOK AWAY! _Hinata flushed, tugged her jacket over her head, and fled before Naruto could notice what she'd forgotten that morning. But the surprised, red look on Naruto's face was definite evidence she was far too late. _Crap! He noticed!_

Deep inside, Hinata knew it wouldn't make a difference; Naruto would ignore her even if she was naked. He barely knew she existed, and when he applied her to a situation, it was a situation in which combat or missions was involved. She was hopeless: Naruto-kun was hopeful. She was invisible: Naruto-kun was surprising and vibrant. She was weak: Naruto-kun was strong in so many ways. In short, Hinata was practically everything Naruto-kun wasn't, and probably less. _But why can't I give up on liking him if I'll never even come close?_

It was funny: the same three faces saying the same three things, but they were battling about her feelings towards Naruto-kun. And every time, it ended the same way. Naruto-kun won. It didn't matter how many times he managed to forget her; she'd always remain faithfully in the shadows nearby, even if it was while watching him love someone else. She would remain until the day that he died, or the day her heart finally broke. Her feet were leading her home like they always did: the walks from the practice fields and the Hyuuga compound was her most quiet time for thinking. Too deep in thought, the black-haired girl didn't notice the strange boy in an overcoat match her stride.

"Hinata, what are you thinking about now? Not Naruto again…"

"Hm? Oh…Shino…"

"Well? Has he even figured it out yet?"

"…N-No…"

The ninjas stole glances at each other, one pair of lavender eyes looking into opaque dark glasses, knowing a friend was behind them. Shino said cynically, "The chances of him figuring it out eventually are quite high. Just wait a bit longer: even by now an idiot like him should have started to piece it together." Hinata smiled at the ground like she always did and murmured gratefully, "Thanks Shino…I have to turn here. See you tomorrow…"

The girl began to turn towards the joint of road that would lead her home, but the shrouded boy caught her arm.

"Hinata…you should tell him."

"About what?"

"He saw you in the waterfall. Tell him it was you."

"N-N-No! Why would that matter! H-H-How did you know?"

"Not everyone sleeps at night Hinata. You for one; insects for another."

"Right…I'll think about it Shino…good night!"

Hinata stuck her hand out to Shino in a gesture of farewell as she ran down the road, not letting her smile fade until the boy was out of site. Slowing down to a halt, she slid into the Hyuuga compound without a noise, knowing that it was better if she wasn't heard. She crept along the wall of the inner courtyard, looking back to make sure a certain person wasn't following her. That was, until she snuck right into him.

"Hinata-sama, _what_ are you doing?"

"KYAH! N-N-Neji-nii-san! J-Just getting back to my room! You know what time of day it is and I don't want to d-disturb anyone."

"I've been looking for you. I need to talk to you about something."

"F-Fine, but can we go somewhere else where father won't hear us?"

The older Hyuuga boy wasn't sure what to tell her: maybe that what he was going to tell her might lift her heart a bit. Maybe that he'd decided it was okay for her to like someone so…irritating…as Naruto. Maybe that he was wrong about her: that she was improving and maybe she could handle some of his intermediate Byakugen techniques. Or maybe he'd tell her the only reason she was sneaking around like this wasn't that her father was sleeping, but rather training Hanabi in secret to become better than Hinata. _A heartless trick played on his own first-born daughter. She wasn't strong enough to be the leader, so he's going to cast her out and make Hanabi the heiress to the Hyuuga leadership. The only reason he "naps" is to manipulate Hinata, who wouldn't dare disturb him, into leaving the compound for hours on end so he can train with Hanabi. How can a man like that have a daughter like this?_

Neji chose to not say anything, but guided Hinata away from the main area of the compound and out into the street. He said bracingly, "Let's go to the practice grounds."

"B-But Naruto-kun's there, and he…I...my…saw…"

"Hinata-sama, he barely knows your name, lest you did something utterly obscene to him."

"N-N-N-N-No! It's just earlier I wasn't wearing my jacket and he saw-"

"-It doesn't matter. All Naruto sees is Sakura-san…you know that."

The cousins walked next together for a moment in familiar silence, the barrier between Branch and Head families between them like a sheet of glass. The older Hyuuga stole a glance at his younger cousin, taking note of a face that could possibly break the heart of Uchiha Itachi himself. Neji came to a decision and blurted out, " I thought you were cute!"

"W-What?"

"When you and I met...I thought you were so cute, I even told father that...so don't worry, I'm sure Naruto thinks your cute too."

_Is everyone trying to cheer me up today? First Shino, now Neji-nii-san...who's next, Sakura-chan or Ino-chan? _Depressingly, Hinata was answered by Naruto running up to her and exclaiming, "Hinata-chan! Kiba and Shikamaru ate _three _whole pounds of ramen, and they're _still_ going! You _have_ to see this- huh? What's wrong with her, Neji?"

Predictably, Neji's lips curled slightly at the appearance of the loud genin in front of him. Choosing not to answer the question, Neji walked on, leaving Hinata stranded in an empty road with Naruto.

"Huh? Ne ne Hinata-chan, why's Neji so annoyed whenever he's around me?"

"Um...I-I think he still can't believe you beat him in the Chunnin Exams, Naruto-kun..."

"Wha? He's still mad about that? But that was ages ago! Anyway, come on! You have to see this!"

Naruto grabbed Hinata's arm, making her blush spread to her eyes, which were trying everything within their power not to meet their blue companions. Completely oblivious to any and all effects he had upon the female ninja he was dragging along with him, Naruto barreled through the streets and skidded to a halt in front of the ramen shop, catching Hinata from crashing into him by wrapping his arms around her and cushioning her from the weight change. All without regard to the increasingly embarrassed Hyuuga in question. By the time he dragged her to a seat in the ramen shop, Hinata was hyperventilating and felt that her heart was going to beat its way through her ribcage and explode from her chest.

_He_, of course, didn't even notice. _He _had already moved on, and forgotten her. Again.

The sadness and pity welled.

And grew.

And morphed into flowing rage that not even Hinata knew she possessed within her.

Before she knew what she was doing, Hinata had spun on her stool, Byakugan instinctively activated. Her hands reached out and grabbed orange jumpsuit, shoving the owner into the counter, and then she couldn't stop. It just happened. Without warning, Naruto came face to face with someone he didn't know. Well, at that point it didn't matter, because whoever they were, they were a Hyuuga and boy, were they pissed. And the sheer anger in those strange eyes was so frightening, so fascinating, that Naruto barely had time to blink in surprise before the face drew closer. A voice, _Hinata-chan's _voice, whispered, "Now you see it, don't you? Look closely, Naruto-kun, because _this _is unrequited love. You're doing this to me." Her voice dropped as some of the fury left her eyes, the veins retracting back under the skin like taming snakes. She continued, so quietly that she could barely hear herself.

"Make it stop. Please...just...I want it to end! I want to give up on you, but you mean too much...to me...go be happy. Do that for me...I'll watch..."

And then she was gone, running from the shop and down the darkening streets without a single word.

"Shino?"

"Yes Naruto, what."

"What's wrong with Hinata-chan? I've never seen her like that before..."

"Naruto, I've only one thing to tell you. But it's not mine to tell."

"Huh? That made no sense at all, Shino."

"Love never does."

"Huh?"

_My God, he's denser than I thought...must add it to my calculations..._

----------

She didn't want to go back to compound. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she belonged at the compound anymore. So she went to someone she knew could look at this wisely. Who else? Hinata slipped into Tsunade's office and respectfully kept her peace until the woman asked briskly from the desk, without looking up, "Hinata, did Hiashi send you again?" There was no reply to the question. Glancing up, Tsunade could see the female ninja in the corner, but the girl wouldn't speak. If it was possible, her lavender eyes, totally without pupils, were even more blank than usual. _Her head in the clouds again..._Tsuande bent back over her work, cursing paperwork for the millionth time to hell, before a voice carried across the dark room.

"W-What do you know about love, Tsunade-sama?"

"Eh? You came here to ask me _that_? Hinata..."

"S-Sorry, but he just doesn't notice and I'm about to fall apart. I just attacked him and..."

A sob pierced the pause and Tsunade finished Hinata's words for her, a new gentleness in her voice.

"And you wish that you could forget it all? Hinata, it's late...go home and think about it before giving up on him. Naruto is an idiot, but he has a brain somewhere in there. Just keep waiting."

The black-haired girl bowed and exited with an almost inaudible, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama..." The blonde woman glanced at the clock and shook her head at the time before glaring down at the form spread out in front of her. _Naruto, you freakin' idiot...waaaaait..._

Her fingers tapped the desk as a plot was born in her mind.

Tsunade smiled as her hands moved the paperwork, revealing a magazine with one dog-eared page.

Flipping to that page her smile widened to a grin.

_Oh. This is gonna be a shit-load of fun._

**That's it! I like Shino, if you didn't notice, but Hinata's my favorite character, hands down. I know they seem a bit out of character, but it'll make sense soon, I promise! Stick with me here!**


	2. Time

**Wow...you NaruHIna people out there respond fast! Anyway, here comes ch 2...**

**Disclaimer: Here on be I would else why? DUH no, Naruto own not do I. (It's backwards...no one said you couldn't say it BACKWARDS...)**

Chapter 2: And Then There Was Time

When Hinata woke up the next morning, a note had been left next to her bed. It was an official notice to report to the Hokage immediately. Intrigued to be called so early in the morning; it was barely dawn, Hinata quickly changed tank tops and pulled her jacket straight over it. _I can fetch the undershirt when I come back. _She was used to getting up before everyone else, but sometimes she wished that her father would come in to wake her up. He used to do it everyday when she was little, but as soon as she graduated from the Academy, he had begun to expect her to get up on her own.

Padding over to a small mirror on her wall, Hinata picked up a comb and ran it through her hair. She sighed at her reflection, pulling at her short hair. _Maybe I should grow it out..._A crash discreetly injected itself into the compound. Glancing out of her window, Hinata saw Neji pick up the bulky bag he had dropped, noting the weapons that had fallen out of it. _More of Tenten's things. How do they keep mixing them up? _Flattening her bangs nervously, Hinata gathered her ninja supplies together and escaped the silent compound into the already stirring streets of Konoha village.

"You don't have to try _that _hard, Hinata-sama..."

Hinata drew in her breath quickly before turning to her cousin, whose usual smirk was faltering in the early morning. She said quietly, "Neji-nii-san..." Her cousin pulled himself from the outer wall of the compound he had been leaning on, and said vindictively, "I can accept you liking Naruto, but literally working yourself to death isn't going to change anything! Even if my theories were proven wrong by Naruto himself...the truth still stands." Leaves blew across the road as Hinata grip on her bag tightened. Finally, she whispered, "Fine. Do you have any other suggestions?" Neji groaned and replied, "No...my specialty is the use of Byakugan, not love. Find someone else." _Oh no...it's back! Calm down, Hinata! Breathe! Neji-nii-san just doesn't understand! No one does..._Choosing not to finish the conversation, Hinata ran down the opposite end of the street, knowing it was the longer way to the Hokage's ground. But oh well, she'd woken up early enough that it didn't matter.

When she arrived, Kiba and Shino were already in the office, sleep and irritation written across their faces. Well, more obviously on Kiba's face, but after four years of being around Shino, Hinata could recognize signs. Shino bowed his head before stating in that precise voice, "Tsuande-sama, we're all here."

"No you're not."

Shino blinked behind the glasses. Not here? He glanced at his comrades. _Hinata...Kiba...Akamaru..._

"Excuse me for the impertinence, but team eight has three people and one dog. There are three people and one dog present. We're here, reporting as requested."

"Wrong."

Kiba's fists curled together, and his lips parted to reveal a pointed inhuman snarl. Throwing his hood away from his face, he yelled, "Well then, did you call us here at dawn just to give us riddles or did you actually need team eight for something?" The blonde woman shook her head, ignoring the brown-haired boy's outburst, and muttered, "Does he always have to be late?" Hinata's face paled. _Oh no...not Naruto-kun..._ "I DON'T WANNA GO IN THERE, IRUKA-SENSEI! LEMME GO BACK TO SLEEP!"

Kiba's face took on the quality of sour milk, and Shino seemed to deflate slightly.

"Oh no." (Shino)

"Crap." (Kiba)

"Y-You guys, give him a ch-chance. Please?" (Hinata)

Naruto burst into the office backwards and yelled at the man standing at the doorway, "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU ADVANCE TOWARDS ME, I CAN ALWAYS BACK UP!" Iruka-sensei smiled with the comment and left. Naruto sighed and said in a relieved tone, "He finally gave up. It's way too early to be up. I wonder if the ramen shop is open yet...maybe I can go for breakfast!" Finally, the blonde boy looked around him and discovered his location. The Hokage smirked before saying to him, "Naruto, you're an idiot as usual I see. Good morning."

"Whatever,"

Obviously Naruto was upset by his failure to outwit Iruka-sensei. But he stood up from the floor anyway and mockingly saluted the woman in front of him before looking at the other present ninja. He quickly registered that they were that-creepy-bug-guy, Kiba-the-pain-in-the-ass, and..._I know her name...Hankina? No...oh YEAH! Hinata! No, that's not it...is it...?_ She wasn't looking at him directly, but Naruto could tell her weird eyes were flickering in his direction, even if her face was partly turned away. And she looked like she had a fever. Again.

Tsuande smiled at the blushing dark-haired girl before commanding, "You four are going on two separate training sessions for three months, Shino and Hinata in one group and Naruto and KIba in the other. Now, you teachers will be-"

"No way! I am _not_ living with this _idiot_ for three months!"

The Hokage glared at the boy and his yapping dog before replying, "Fine. Who do you want to be with, Kiba?" The boy looked around him, his eyes settling on Hinata. But before he could even say her name, Tsuande cut in, "You can't go with Hinata; she has an entirely different style of attack than you. Right, you're going with Shino, since you absolutely_ refuse_ to be with Naruto." Pleased with the hopes she'd trodden on, the blonde woman stole a glance at the girl in question. There was no doubt about it, a period of time with just her and Naruto might kill her hopes for good. _But on the other hand...Something else might happen..._ As Tsunade's mind fell into an uncanny copy of Jaraiya, Hinata finally peaked and fainted into Naruto, who caught her with a "why is it always me that catches the sick person?" look on his face. _Geez...if she's so sick, why doesn't she stay home? Wait...if Kiba-the-pain-in-the-ass is going with Shino a.k.a. that-creepy-bug-guy, then that leaves me with...HER?_

The change of countenance must have ticked Tsunade off, because the woman turned to the dark-haired woman beside her and seethed, "Shizune, fetch Sakura please." Turning back to the chaos she had spun, Tsuande couldn't help but feel proud of herself. _Shino is alright with any person he is put with, besides Naruto...Kiba would want to be with Hinata, but their styles are different...and since Kiba hates Naruto, that leaves him with Shino and Naruto with Hinata. Naruto, why do you have to make everyone pissed at you? It makes it so much harder..._Everything had happened exactly as she had predicted, except for the fact that Hinata was still unconscious because whenever she managed to wake up, she was met by two horrifyingly familiar blue eyes staring back at her. After her second revival, Naruto gave up and handed her over to a surprised Kiba, who shook her awake and helped her sit up.

"Anyway, Hinata and Naruto are meeting with their instructor in ten minutes outside of my office. You two are dismissed. Kiba, Shino, you're teacher will meet you in twenty minutes outside of my office. However, since you two psychically brought your stuff with you,"

The woman gestured at the two packs at the side of the door, then continued in a dry voice, "You two will remain in my office until your teacher arrives. We have some matters to discuss. Hinata, Naruto, get moving."

"Sure, Tsuande-baa-chan."

"Y-Yes ma'am."

The two ninja left the office in stone silence, not exactly sure what to say to each other. _Why _exactly the two had been eventually paired together was an absolute mystery: Naruto was more consistent and his style was a more aggressive fluidity than Hinata possessed. But in a way their styles were similar in the large use of chakra in the movements and techniques. _But still... train with this weirdo whose always sick? If I'm going to train well and use my training to become Hokage than I can't wait up for someone who always has a fever or whatever! _He glared at her: blushing, she tried to glare back but failed. Hinata couldn't reason why Naruto-kun was so upset about being with her for three months. _But he does have Sakura...why would he want to be with someone like me? What was I hoping for, him to fall in love with me? _

Naruto made it back to his apartment before he noticed that Hinata was still following him. He weighed his options: A) Let her in and then join her to get her things, B) Leave her outside his apartment like some sort of package to deliver and _then_ join her to get her things, C) Try and wake her out of the dream, then send her home, or his personal choice D) Send her home and make her stay home because she has a fever. But all possibilities ended when Hinata suddenly spun around and escaped from the apartment building like her life depended on it. _Crap! What was I doing there? Where was I? Why was Naruto-kun there? Oh! Right here, right again next intersection, down the alley, and..._

Gasping, Hinata arrived at the back of the Hyuuga compound. She glanced around herself in amazement and then realization. _Naruto-kun lives that close to me? _Shaking her head, the girl slipped into the compound and somehow managed to get to her room without meeting anyone. As she added her undershirt to the clothing she was already wearing, Hinata glanced at the clock and noticed it wasn't even five thirty yet.

Feeling grateful that she was still one of the very few Hyuugas awake, she carefully folded two extra tank tops and an extra undershirt and stashing them in her pack before glancing around herself. Her pack wasn't the right size, she was forgetting something...Then she realized she had almost forgotten the two things she, ridiculously, couldn't leave Konoha without: the bar of soap her mother had made and the sash from her [Hinata's first kimono. In fact, her _only _kimono that hadn't been given to Hanabi when she [Hanabi was born. The sash was so short that Hinata could tie it around her neck and almost hide it behind the forehead protector she wore there. Even though it was starting to be worn through at the ends where she usually tied the knot, the pink and red still blazed true. She tied it around her neck and slipped it behind the forehead protector, once again checking the mirror to make sure it wasn't very noticeable.

On impulse, Hinata reached further into the open drawer and pulled out the rest of the kimono, smiling at the cheery colors. Before she knew what she was doing, she had taken off her jacket and slipped her arms into the kimono's sleeves. Of course it was too small, but seeing her pale forearms sticking out from the silk was comforting. Hinata could barely remember the last time she'd worn a kimono at all. She guessed it must have been her birthday last year, and even that kimono had been borrowed from Sakura. It hadn't even looked good on her; pale green really wasn't her color, especially once mixed with pink cherry blossoms. A knock woke her up, and Hinata squeaked, "E-Enter!" It was Hanabi, still dressed in the clothes she slept in. "Onee-chan? Where are you going? Why are you wearing that...thing?"

"I'll be gone for three months Hanabi, that's all. I wasn't going to wear it, I was just thinking about some things. Once you see father, tell him I left a note, okay?"

Without waiting for her little sister's reply, Hinata tucked the kimono back into the drawer and ran out to the inner courtyard of the Hyuuga compound. Before she turned into the hallway that would lead her back out to the street, Hinata waved back at her little sister and said softly, "Bye Hanabi. Good luck with father's training." The smaller girl didn't hear her, but that wasn't why she had said it. Hinata had a feeling, deep in her heart, that she'd never come back. Not as the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, anyway.

---------

Naruto wasn't outside the Hokage's office when Hinata arrived. But someone else was, a woman dressed from head to toe in greenish-gray, was. A woman Hinata had never seen before. A woman who looked like she was about to rip out someone's throat. A woman who smiled grandly, her face changing into to one of joy. A woman who ran over to Hinata and squealed, "Hinata-chan! We haven't seen each other in sooo long! How are you?" A woman who hugged Hinata without any sense of propriety. A woman who made Hinata nearly scream in fright. Correction: a woman who _did _make Hinata scream.

"k-k-kYAAAaaaaaaaa! Cr-Cr-Crazy Person!"

The woman stopped laughing and said, perplexed, "Huh? You don't remember me? Well then, I guess I have no choice..." She let go of the panicking Hinata and formed a seal and quickly muttered, "_Henge no jutsu_." And the woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke, replaced by a teenager, maybe fifteen, wearing a swimsuit and a skirt. Her sandy-colored hair was pulled away from her face and teased into a ridiculous twist kept in place by a dangerously pink hair clip. The girl smiled in the exact same way as the woman and said brightly, "Hinata-chan, would you like another slice of watermelon?" Hinata's lavender eyes widened considerably. This woman was...that girl that had found her when she was seven?

"Ch-Chikako-nee-san? Is that you?"

"Yay! You remember me!"

Chikako changed back with another cloud of smoke, and said in a voice totally unfit for her appearance, "So Hinata-chan, how are you?" Hinata answered in a vague sort of way, like she was being polite instead of running away screaming. Chikako ignored the answer and said, "Hey, we're also supposed to have an Uzumaki Naruto or whatever here as well. God, he's late. You know him?" Apparently the woman had noticed Hinata's pink face. Hinata avoided the older woman's brown eyes and stammered, "Y-Yes, I know Naruto-kun..." Compelled to pry, Chikako whispered, "Do you _like _this Naruto?" The female ninja's reaction was as expected: she stuttered, flushed, and then fell silent as a block of stone. Finally, her answer escaped.

"I...I do..."

"Hmmmmmmmmm? Tell me more, Hinata-chan!"

"Um...Well...Naruto-kun is so persistent even if he isn't gifted with much talent and-"

"SORRY I'M LATE! FUZZY EYEBROWS WAS LECTURING ME!"

Hinata stiffened with a small "Eep," and, unable to finish her sentence, regressed into embarrassed silence as a blonde boy in a glaringly orange jumpsuit appeared beside her. Naruto looked at the girl next to him, and then moved his attention to the older woman in front of him. She looked like she had made her clothes out of dusty canvas sewn together to form a baggy shirt and pants. Except less flattering. In fact, this woman looked like some sort of tough-as-nails overgrown Hinata except with longer, blonde hair and not remotely as shy. Naruto couldn't help it: the first words he said to his sensei were, "You do know that looks like crap on you, right sensei?"

"Excuse me?"

Realizing what he'd said, Naruto began backing away, eyeing the still calm woman in front of him. She hadn't even tensed up, which, in a way, was much worse.

"Um...never mind...?"

"_Hell_ no."

Hinata began backing away as well, recognizing the look on Chikako-nee-chan's face. But instead of exploding as expected, the woman just smiled at Naruto and said in a normal voice, "Naruto, there are five rules I insist upon while you're with me. Here rule number one: never make fun of other people's appearance. You could be the ugliest guy in Konoha and I wouldn't give a damn. Second rule: no walls. Mentally, socially, whatever. The jutsu I'll be showing you two require full truth between the two of you. That means A) no secrets, B) no tricks, and C) no arguments. Uzumaki, you just killed two birds with one stone."

The blonde boy had backed himself against a wall, his fingers halfway around a kunai. He was itching to say something witty but his natural sense for self-preservation prevented him from doing so. _Dammit, I can tell she's storing her anger away for later. For training..._Remembering the mysterious packages that had been left outside his apartment with delivered ramen once every month, Naruto dug into his pocket and rummaged around to be sure the small container was with him. Naruto didn't know who his secret benefactor was, but they sure knew their medical stuff. And how to make onigiri: practically the only thing Naruto ate with pleasure besides ramen and curry. At first he had been hoping his benefactor was Sakura-chan (after all, she _was_ a medical ninja's apprentice), but he knew that she couldn't cook to save Sasuke's life. Yes, even her _beloved Sasuke-kun_'s life being threatened could not make her change her products from charcoal to food. Well, it didn't matter. _Dammit! Of course it matters! I bet whoever she is, she's pretty cute, with big eyes and_- Naruto shut down the thought and noticed that he was alone in the hall with Hinata. Their "sensei" had left them.

"Hey Hinata-chan. Mornin'."

"G-Good morning, Naruto-kun,"

Hinata mentally glued her feet to the floor. _I will not run away! I will not run away! I will not- _

"Hinata-chan? I got a question for you."

Weird girl: she seemed to be afraid of just being around him. Naruto wasn't sure if he should be offended, offensive...or, for some reason, complimented. Receiving a slight nod from the pale girl, Naruto continued, "Someone's been leaving medicine and food at my door. I know you gave me some ointment at the Chunnin Exams, so you must know that kind of stuff, right?"

Another miniscule, silent nod.

"So if I showed you a sample of the stuff I've been getting, you'd be able to tell me who made it?"

Hinata held her breath, eyes averted downwards, heart stammering, and nodded again. She'd been leaving things she had made for Naruto-kun at the ramen shop to hide from her family, who tended to find things of hers and would not approve. But to her pleasure and horror, the young woman who worked in the shop had delivered the food and ointment to Naruto-kun with his ramen. It quickly became a regular operation of unrequited love.

Naruto carefully extracted a small, round container from his pocket and handed it to Hinata, who took it gently, careful not to touch Naruto's hand in the process. Hinata stared at it, blush deepening, and said softly, "I-I...I made this..."

"Someone's been stealing your ointments?"

Suddenly a female voice screeched, "NARUTO!" The boy rounded about only to meet the sea-foam green eyes of his favorite (and least favorite at times) female ninja. Sakura repeated, anger radiating from her like beauty, "NARUTO, YOU FREAKIN' IDIOT!" And without mercy or regret, the pink-haired girl brought her fist down onto the top of the boy's head. Naruto fell to the ground, twitching, before Sakura pulled him up by the front of his jumpsuit and said one last time, "NARUTO, YOU ARE MOST LIKELY THE MOST IDIOTIC PERSON I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO MEET!" And on that high note, Sakura left as quickly as she appeared. She could not have picked a more appropriate time. Hinata continued, "N-No...I...I g-gave it to y-you..."

Chikako suddenly dropped to the floor next to Naruto and said brightly, "We're off!" The excitement of more special training made HInata's faint confession slip straight from Naruto's mind. He leaped into the air, and used chakra to run a lap up the wall, across the ceiling, and backdown the other wall, yelling the entire time. Chiakako shook her head grimly at the boy's exuberance, and murmured to Hinata, "Listen, I get it. But he really _is _an idiot. You sure he's what you want?"

The girl flushed, lavender eyes following the male ninja, and repeated tentatively, "W-Want?"

"Yes, want."

"Yes. He is."

The change in the Hyuuga's voice from embarrassment to assured decision was what Chikako was expecting from her Hinata-chan. Leaning forward, the sandy-ahired woman whispered to Hinata, "No walls." Hinata understood immediately, eyes widening before she nodded slightly. _I've got to stop this stupid nervousness. He is Kiba-kun, he is just like Kiba-kun. Just another boy. Naruto is just another boy. _And in a moment of bravery, she ran to catch up with Naruto, who was leading them like a parade out towards the Konoha gate. Pushing her fear back, she began, "S-So, what do you think Chikako-sensei is going to teach us?" Naruto glanced over at her casually before scratching his head.

"Dunno,"

A white hand reached out and brushed Naruto's arm. He froze for a moment mentally, brain using dusty cogs that had rarely been used to think about Sakura-chan. _She's never touched me when she can help it_. The hand drew back to its owner, who looked at it happily before glancing back at Chikako, who smiled approvingly.

Something occurred to Naruto as he watched Hinata smile. She was cute. No, cute was a bad day for Hinata-chan. She was _pretty_. Paler than Sakura-chan, with dark hair that shone indigo in the sunlight. Adn those _eyes_, not pasinfully white like her father's, or cruelly gray, like her cousin Neji's. They were a faint, but warm lavender, something Naruto had never noticed before. There was something about her that made Naruto want to..._Shit! Bad thoughts! Ero-sennin has perverted me! Well, all I wanted to do was...SHIT! BAD THOUGHTS!_ And in that single moment, he wished that she had touched him on purpose. But the hope was crushed by his stubborn love for Sakura-chan, and Hinata, who lied fervently, "T-There was a bug on your arm..."

_Oh..._

--------

"Mission completed. Naruto has been told he is an idiot. The only time _ever_ by order, might I add."

"Really. Well then, about time."

"I saw him with Hinata-chan. Where are they going, Master?"

"Training. Now let me sleep-I mean, do my work."

"Right..."

**Okay. Ch 2 is completed. Sorry if I was too long updating, but I had to go to CT and do stuff with grandparents...not good time to write fan-fiction...Have a good week (like that ever actually happens...)**

**Henge-no-jutsu- An illusion technique in which a person changes form to look like another person or object. In this instance, Chikako used this technique to look more like herself six years ago.**

**Oh, and for the people who don't know what onigiri is, it is rice balls with stuff in the middle. End.**


	3. Forgotten

**Okay, here we go. Today I got scratched by the cutest cat ever, made up the most depressing story ever about a guy, a girl, and a cello (don't ask...unless you reeeeally want to), and was forced at gunpoint to make my bed. Okay, for those people out there who have ben scoffing and going "This has NO actual ninja related stuff in it!" Well, here it comes, assholes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Hinata, or Sasuke, or Shino, or Sakura, or Neji, or TenTen, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or...ah, forget it.**

Chapter 3: The Forgotten Swallow

Naruto could feel the bruises starting the grow on his skin. His muscles stung, his chakra was almost entirely decimated, and they'd been training for maybe an hour. He growled, forcing himself to keep it from a groan, and stood back up. Chikako-sensei stood over him like a harpy from the depths of hell, and said sweetly, "Well Uzumaki, you done yet, or do you think you could show me that one more time." She smiled as the blonde boy spat out a small glob of blood and stood up, already beginning to form seals with his hands. Gathering up the last of his non-Kyuubi chakra, he yelled, " Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Another Naruto exploded into existence next to him, and furiously began molding blue chakra into a rotating sphere in his creator's right hand. Quickly dispatching the clone, Naruto grit his teeth for a moment before springing towards Chikako-the-harpy-sensei, yelling hoarsely, "Rasengan!"

But it happened exactly like the fifteen billion times before it: just before Naruto landed the swirling ball of air and chakra into Chikako's midriff, something like invisible hands pushed him away, followed by similar invisible fists, which efficiently knocked the air out of him, and propelled him ever farther backward. Naruto screwed his face up, waiting for the feeling of ground beneath his feet before skidding to a stop. He landed gracefully, just feet away from Hinata, who watching with a face of worry and calculation, and tried to keep himself from collapsing. _Crap, I knew she was waiting for training to take her anger out on me. But she's hasn't moved at all. why the hell can't I land anything on her? _His chakra was running too low: and he didn't want to use the Kyuubi's chakra like he had to in real battles. For God's sake, this was his first day! He didn't need his back-up within the first hour of the first day! Luckily, Chikako-the-harpy-sensei seemed to know his limit as well, because she turned away from him and said calmly, "Hinata-chan, your turn. What is your most damaging offensive technique?" The girl raised her eyes in thought before saying in a small voice, "My Hakke rokujuu you shou, I think..."

"Okay. Whenever you're ready."

"Alright..."

For a moment Hinata was uncertain if she could throw long spears of chakra at her Chikako-nee-san, but she thrashed the thought aside and steadied herself, gathering together her peace. Naruto watched, remembering the other time he has seen this technique: it still was mesmerizing to watch. Conscious of the pair or cerulean eyes on her, Hinata activated her Byakugan and murmured, " Shougo hakke rokujuu you shou." Suddenly she released a dangerous cloud of chakra shafts, which Naruto dodged, flattening himself to the ground. Chikako's eyes widened slightly at the slight girl's furor but was not surprised. After all, Hinata's Naruto-kun was watching. But the swift spears of glowing chakra did not hit their target. Just before they made impact, they were either halted in midair like they were caught by hands or glanced off in angles away from Chikako.

Hinata flattened herself to the ground next to Naruto to avoid the rebounding blades or chakra and whispered, "She seems to have extra invisible people all around her. What do you think, Naruto?" Naruto blinked, not sure why he was annoyed by the fact she had lost her stutter and dropped the "-kun" on his name, and replied in the same tense, focused voice, "Hinata, I think that's what she has, except just the hands. And I think it's the jutsu she's going to teach us. Why else would she have us attack her like that?"

"Hm. Naruto, should I end this?"

"What?"

"End the battle."

"Not by giving up!"

"Not my plan. A ninja should never give up. That's my way."

"Huh? Where have I heard that before...?"

"Watch me please, Naruto."

Naruto looked at the dark-haired girl next to him in confusion, opening his mouth, and then closing it. Hinata stood up again, hands forming a sequence of seals neither Naruto nor Chikako recognized. Closing her eyes for a moment in the waiting silence, Hinata summoned chakra and whispered, "Byakugan." Then, looking up, the veins around her eyes rising up from the skin, she said clearly, "Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame!" And chakra shot out of her back like wings, free-looking and extending. For a moment, the chakra held it's form before the tips of the chakra-feathers wrapped themselves around Hinata and then began to extend out towards Chikako from the cocoon they had created.

The sandy-haired woman could feel her mouth dropping. _What did that bastard Hiashi-sama do to her? _But Chikako had a feeling this technique was entirely knew. And the name..._Strike of the thousand forgotten swallows..._ But now was not the time to focus on Hinata's new technique, it was the time to block it. The chakra was different, more just extensions of the wings instead of sharpened spears, and they speeding towards her. Naruto couldn't speak. He'd never seen anything like it. He could barely see the outline of Hinata-chan's form beneath the chakra, and for some reason, it seemed familiar. The longest pieces of her hair waving in the protection of the bright chakra...it reminded him of something...the black profile against the glowing blue, almost too blue to look at..._but where? _

The end of the flowing chakra-feathers reached Chikako-sensei.

They too began to wrap around her, forming to balls of chakra connected by many thin strands of energy.

And then, the cocoon that shrouded Chikako began to contract, obviously fighting the force of the invisible hands.

Inside her orb of chakra, Hinata grit her teeth in concentration and pushed harder in her mind. _Damn, her shield is pushing against my chakra_. Chikako was struggling as well as her technique began to unravel. Biting her tongue and drawing blood, she pushed harder but could feel her chakra draining quickly. _This is too strong. No one has ever been able, not a single person..._And suddenly, Chikako's technique weakened, and the energy surrounding her cracked through it like water through a broken dam. It seeped in, around Chikako, and wrapped a thick restraint around her. The rest of the chakra melted away, drawing back to its owner, who dropped her arms in exhaustion and staggered to keep standing.

"Chikako-nee-sensei...I'm going to...release you...now..."

The chakra binding the shocked woman vanished.

Naruto had jumped up from his position on the ground.

The last thing Hinata saw before she fainted from fatigue was his awed face.

Swiftly coming closer,

Leaning over her,

Mouthing her name over and over,

Something new in his eyes, another light,

And she slept in his arms, a smile gracing her face.

---------

When she woke up, the ground was rocking. Confused, she glanced down at the earthquake and discovered she was slung onto Naruto's back, her arms over his shoulders, and her legs wrapped around him just above the hips. His hands were on her feet holding them to him. And Naruto-kun was carrying her. He glanced back at Hinata's red face, and said in his excited voice, "Hinata-chan! You're awake! What was that technique you used? It was awesome!" Hinata grew even more red, if possible, and stammered, "U-Um, it was something I-I thought up after the Chunnin exams." Chikako-sensei stopped and turned back to Naruto and Hinata.

"Yeah. Hinata-chan, what was that you used?"

"Well, d-do you remember Gaara of the Sand from the Chunnin Exams?"

"Yes."

"Him? He was scary. What about him, Hinata-chan?"

"He used this technique called "Sand Coffin", where he wrapped a person in his chakra-infused sand and...contracted until it...k-killed them...?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, he tried to kill Fuzzy Eyebrows with that."

"M-My technique is like that, except it doesn't contract so quickly that it kills, it just captures the target in a restraint of chakra. Meanwhile, the rest of the chakra is used to protect me from other attacks. Just without the sand..."

"Really."

"Wow! You came up with that, Hinata-chan?"

"Y-Yes..."

Hinata was dying to get off of Naruto's back and get her safe five feet away, but the blonde boy was refusing to put her down. Suddenly, Naruto reached a hand up and pushed Hinata's head farther forward. He turned his head back as far as he could, and said happily, "You did really good, Hinata-chan." Hinata couldn't help it; he was so close. She leaned farther forward, one hand on Naruto's right cheek, and laid a small, quick, soft kiss on his other cheek. Naruto nearly dropped her, arm falling away from the back of her head and grabbing onto her feet just in time. Hinata automatically brought her index fingers together, but quickly noticed it meant wrapping her arms around Naruto-kun's neck, which he would misunderstand, and squeaked, "S-S-Sorry, Naruto-kun...I-"

"Hey Chikako-sensei! Are we almost there yet? I can't carry Hinata-chan forever!"

He cut through her apology, pink spreading across his cheeks. The older woman rolled her brown eyes and replied in a bored tone, "We have another six miles or so left. Uzumaki, you know Hinata-chan can probably walk by now?" The blonde boy's grip on the Hyuuga's feet tensed for a moment. He didn't want to let her get down. She could faint again. Glancing back at the pale girl, Naruto heard another squeak and was met by the top of her head. Chikako shook her head again and looked up at the trees filtering sun onto the three. _The forgotten swallow...neh? I bet Hinata-chan meant herself, Naruto, Gaara, etc. And the way these two act around each other... is almost tantalizingly sickening. _She looked back at her students again and frowned as Hinata finally fell back asleep, her head against Naruto's back. She was totally and entirely at peace, and Naruto-kun didn't seem to want to let her down, so she may as well sleep.

But Hinata woke up only minutes later to see the ground rushing past her. They were leaping through the trees, leaving the stone path far behind. Naruto-kun still hadn't put her down yet, even though the strain was starting to show on his face. He had drained his chakra in that battle as well. And then the three were washed in sunlight. Chikako jumped to the ground and called up to the pair of ninja, "C'mon, my place is this way." Naruto landed next to her, Hinata fully awake on his back. And fully capable of jumping from a branch herself.

Chikako led the two 13-year-olds between two saplings, and unlocked the door to a small traditionally built house. The first thing Naruto saw in the dark house was dust. A lot of dust. Dust with footprints in it. Chikako flicked on the light and said grandly, spreading open her arms, "And...this is your home for the next three months!"

"You're kidding. You actually live here?"

Chikako grinned and replied, "Of course." Naruto sighed and continued, "...And you've lived here how long?"

"Eight years, Uzumaki."

"How long since you were here?"

"Two days,"

"How long since you cleaned?"

"Never have. Don't know how to. Alright, well, I'll be leaving now-"

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?"

"-to get food."

"Oh."

"And then I'll be leaving for the night."

That made Hinata's head snap up in surprise. She gasped, thinking about an entire night alone with Naruto-kun, and sputtered, "C-Chikako-nee-san! Wh-Where are you going to sleep?" The older woman's smile widened even more, and she just nodded her head before disappearing into the sunset, apparently to get food. Naruto sighed and finally let Hinata down.

Three hours later, Chikako-the-harpy-sensei hadn't come back. Naruto had a sinking suspicion she wouldn't until the next morning. So he turned to Hinata-chan, hands behind his head, and said bitterly, "The harpy has left us alone for food. Did you find anything in the cupboards?" The girl nodded her head, and said quietly, "Rice, and turnips, and there's a creek out back, so we could get some fish..." Naruto scratched his head and asked, "Can you make anything with that?"

"Yes..."

"Right. Let's go fishing!"

---------

Naruto opened his eyes once again and groaned. He couldn't sleep at all. Although the grilled fish with fried turnips and rice had been good, well, _beyond_ good, they still sat in his stomach like a weight. He didn't know why, or how, or _when_, but he felt something was missing: like he'd almost put together a jigsaw puzzle and he had lost the last piece. To be honest, it was pissing him off. He sat up and glared at the moon: it was too bright. And then he glared at the girl curled up in the bad next to him: she was too pretty in the damned too-bright moon. Then in his sleep-deprived brain, a switch clicked. Carefully, quietly, he crawled out of his bed and into the one next to his, silent as not to disturb the dark-haired girl sleeping in it. Already falling back to sleep, he wrapped his arms across her chest, pulling her to him, and sighed. So _that _was what it was. Hands slipped on top of his, and Hinata murmured in her sleep, "Hanabi...another nightmare...?" She turned her head deeper into the pillow and fell back into deep sleep, unaware of who was next to her.

Naruto, just before he lost consciousness, recognized where'd he'd seen that profile against a bright blue light before.

_That girl in the waterfall..._

_...Was Hinata-chan?..._

_And..._

_...Hinata-chan's the missing piece...?_

_But..._

_...Sakura-chan..._

_...is..._

He couldn't bring himself to think Sakura-chan was his love. All he could see was her hugging Sasuke just after her woke up from that Itachi's torture.

_...Sakura-chan..._

_...is..._

_...in love with Sasuke..._

_...and..._

_...I don't care..._

_...I don't feel sad..._

_I feel..._

_...like an idiot._

_A_

_freakin'_

_idiot._

_But..._

_...WHY?_

**The theme of Naruto being told he is an idiot (A FREAKIN' IDIOT!) will be a consistency. Okay, I have a load of jutsus to define here...**

**Kage bunshin no jutsu- Naruto's favorite move besides Rasengan. This is where the person (Naruto) creates a moving duplicate of himself from his own chakra. This duplicate can move, speak, and perform different tasks at the same time as the original.**

**Rasengan- A move used by the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya (Ero-sennin), and Naruto. Chakra is quickly compacted and moved in a circular motion, then compressed into a small sphere. This is then used to ram into the target.**

**Shougo hakke rokujuu you shou- A Hyuuga clan special move associated with Byakugan in which the Hyuuga focus beams of chakra from their palms and fires them into the surrounding area. This attack is a guaranteed defense, as it covers all 360 degrees around the person**

**Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame- Hinata's latest creation, this is a variation of Gaara of the Sand's "Sand Coffin", in which the user (Gaara) is surrounded by a shield of sand while another section of sand captures the opponent and contracts quickly to assure opponent's death. Hinata's variation uses pure chakra instead of chakra-infused sand, and she never contracts quickly enough for death. Instead, while the chakra forces through the defense, it eventually finds a weak are and wraps around the opponent, who can no longer move. Then the rest of the unused chakra is released and the opponent remains restrained. This uses a great amount of chakra, so HInata uses this only when she can see no other solution. **

**Chikako's jutsu will be named next chapter, and just a warning, this will end up SasuSaku. Oh, the timeline is (I think) about three months after Sasuke joins Orochimaru in Part 1. In my version, I would prefer that Naruto doesn't leave Konoha for 2 and 1/2 years, but instead...well...you'll see...**


	4. Wave

**Usually I'd say stuff up here, but today I don't feel like it...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto in any way, shape, or form (although HInata wishes she did).**

Chapter 4: Parting of the Waters

"I cannot believe she's never cleaned this dump!" Naruto exclaimed, and irritably continued attacking the dust on the floor with a wet cloth. He glared out of the open windows, hoping to see that damned harpy wandering back, but she was yet to appear. Hinata just patiently clipped the longest bits of hair away from her face and said for the thousandth time, "Naruto-kun, she'll come back. Chikako-nee-san never left me alone for more than a day when I was with her." Naruto stopped scrubbing furiously and sat back on his feet. He asked, intrigued, "When was that, Hinata-chan?" The Hyuuga continued carefully wiping down the sink, silent before continuing, "When I was six, my family went to the beach for Hanabi's first birthday. Everyone. But on the last day, father got angry at me because...Well, I left the inn we were staying in, and I got lost. That's when Chikako-nee-san found me.

"She took me home, offered me a slice of watermelon, and then tied on her Konoha forehead protector, and left me alone in that house for about an hour. I was scared to death that she wouldn't come back, but she did, along with Neji-nii-san. Turns out he'd been the only one who had noticed I was gone, what with the celebration for Hanabi.

"But by then it was dark outside, so we stayed the night, just Neji-nii-san and I. That was the first time I had ever really thought about him as a person. Before that, he was just...another miniature warrior, who was told to protect me. We stayed with Chikako-nee-san for another five days, until someone noticed we were gone. By then, everyone else had gone back to Konoha. They had totally forgotten about Neji-nii-san and me because...we weren't worth remembering."

"Whoa. What?"

"Nothing, Naruto-kun. That's how I knew Chikako-nee-san."

"Oh."

The blonde boy went back to his work, muttering a particular phrase of cuss-words that basically cursed Chikako-the-harpy-sensei to hell and back. Finishing the wooden floors he attacked the kitchen. Hinata giggled a his furor and continued washing down the sink. Beneath the grime, the house was actually very quaint, similar to Hinata's home. Just much, much smaller. Suddenly something collided with her, and Hinata crumpled to the floor, unable to catch her balance. She was not one to cry out pain; she used to be knocked around from her father's brutal training. Instead, she closed her eyes to make sure she could speak normally, and then opened them. Pinkish-gray eyes activated in Byakugan stared back. A shrill voice rang, "Onee-chan! Father wants you! _Now_!"

Hinata looked at the eight-year-old kneeling on her chest, amazed, and said in a checked voice, "What does Father want?" Hanabi shrugged her scrawny shoulders and tossed some of her fine brown hair over her shoulder. Naruto, meanwhile, had dropped the cloth to the floor in surprise, and was about to ask who the hell this bratty girl was when Hanabi turned her attention to him and asked, "Onee-chan, is he Naruto-kun?"

"H-Hanabi! Don't say anything at all! And get off of me please!"

The eight-year-old got off of her older sister's chest and walked over to Naruto. She raised herself to the tips of her toes and managed to come eye to eye with the increasingly pissed boy. She leaned in closer, Byakugan deactivating, and studied his annoyed face silently. Her features twisted in a mixture of disdain and disbelief, and she said in a skeptical tone, "And what makes you so special that Onee-chan-"

"H-Hanabi! Go home and please tell Father I can't leave training, it is an order from the Hokage."

The little girl was distracted by her sister, and Naruto took the chance to stand on his toes so he was once again taller than her. He hated being short. The younger Hyuuga turned back to him, and then glared up. Naruto glared right back at her and said, "What's that on your feet?" Hanabi looked down, and then shot disgust back up at him, her face moving upwards to look at his. "There's nothing the-" Naruto took the chance and flicked her on the nose, hard.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You actually fell for it! Serves you right."

The little girl sulked, and Naruto laughed, triumphant. Hinata picked herself up from the floor and said to Hanabi firmly, "Hanabi...go home and please tell father that-"

"Hey, Onee-chan, where's your sensei? Wait...don't tell me that this freakin' idiot is your sensei!"

"H-He's not."

"Thank God. Hold on...then...YOU TWO ARE HERE BY YOURSELVES?!"

Choosing not to answer Hanabi's question, Naruto picked the squirming girl by the back of her shirt and physically removed her from the house. The miniature warrior packed her bony frame into a roll and took off, face open with glee. _Just wait until Father finds out about this! _For a moment, pain flickered in the pit of Hanabi's stomach, reminding her of the times she'd crawl into Hinata's bed when she had nightmares and sleep with her. But the severe words of her father about Hinata "the failure" thrashed away the pain and focused on landing on tree branches when needed. What Neji-nii-san had told her was true: Onee-chan _was _getting stronger. She _was _getting braver. And she, Hanabi, _was _turning into one of her father's miniature Hyuuga soldiers. No regret: no happiness either. Just work, and competition, and efficiency.

Hinata, meanwhile, could already see her father's face upon the discovery his daughter was alone in the forest with a boy, let alone Uzumaki Naruto. She stuttered, eyes contracting, "F-Father c-can't know...he'll...a-and..."

Something warm wrapped itself around her. Snapping out of her bout of fear, Hinata gasped. Naruto whispered, "Hinata-chan, I probably don't have damned clue what just happened, but it'll be fine. I'd never let _anyone _lay their hands on you. Because you're too kind to be punished for it." The dark-haired girl tried to hold back the tears, and ventured, "B-But, no one would ever dare intervene with Father..." She closed her eyes slowly, face blooming into a shade of red, and enjoyed the moment, the feeling of Naruto-kun's arms around her, arms and all, his cheek next to hers, the sound of his voice so close to her ear...And the tears came out. All eight years of them. Silent and unnoticed, they leaked from her eyes and ran down her face, landing on her, and Naruto. And they just stood there, Hinata sobbing softly into his shoulder, him trying to remember what he'd been thinking about last night, and why he woke up next to Hinata that morning. _Dammit! I wish I could remember what I was thinking about! It was something really important too! God, she's still crying...I could let go of her..._Naruto wasn't too comfortable with violent emotions, but his body refused to follow the demands of his head. It stubbornly kept its grip on the female ninja. Hinata finally blocked the rest of the tears and just relished the comforting silence. She knew what Naruto meant when he said he wanted to protect her: she just wished he meant something else entirely.

The Hyuuga wiped away her tears with palm of her hand, and muttered, embarrassed, "T-Thank you, Naruto-kun...I was about to send my self into self-induce hysterics." The blonde boy replied, equally embarrassed by the fact he couldn't let go and that he had hugged her in the first place, "No problem, Hinata-chan, just...don't be sad. It makes you seem-" Naruto stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. Hinata looked up at him, waiting the last few words he said before letting go of her, and he stared back down at her, pink starting to spread on his cheeks. _It make you seem like me, and I don't want anyone, ANYONE, to be like me. _And that was when Chikako said in a "I-totally-saw-this-coming" voice, "My my, what's going on here?"

The two genin sprang apart and both began nervously rambling, Hinata pushing her index fingers together, and Naruto's hand behind his head. Chikako shook her head and sang, "Just kidding. Just a friendly hug between close friends, right?" Neither answered, both eyes averted. _Perfect. Just bloody perfect. I get the two that are slowly falling in love. _ Chikako knew she couldn't risk having them alone together anymore: Kurenai-senpai had warned her about this. Once these two were alone, without Naruto's Sakura-chan and Hinata's family, things would change. Chikako had been incredulous (the two of them are freakin' THIRTEEN, for God's sake), but after watching them for the last day, she was beginning to understand Kurenai-senpai's concerns. _These two are just like...well, I should probably train them now or this entire thing would be pointless. _She clapped her hand together to snag the mumbling ninjas' attention, and boomed, "Right. Remember that technique I showed you yesterday?"

"It was two days ago, sensei."

"Shut up, Uzumaki. Hinata-chan, any theories?"

"Um...A shield of..."

"C'mon, you've got it."

"...invisible hands?"

Chikako nodded approvingly, but then said, "Well, actually, that's the appearance of the jutsu. In actuality, it's more of a shell of highly compressed air created by two thin fields of chakra pressing together." Naruto raised his hand then, but the sandy-haired woman just ignored it and continued, "Uzumaki, yes, it is similar to Rasengan, but this air is not moving, and it as two fields, not one. Hinata-chan, the reason why you didn't see it in Byakugan is just a lack of detail. The chakra fields are so thin that they cannot be picked up easily. If you really focused, you would be able to see it."

Her two pupils looked at their teacher with polite confusion written across their faces. Chikako sighed in frustration and led the two outdoors into the clearing around the house. And then, almost as if she could see the light-bulb, Hinata brightened and asked, trembling with excitement, "W-What are the hand seals?"

Naruto stared at her. This was totally out of character. But then again, he'd never seen her when she was trying to learn a new technique. Maybe she was always this eager. Maybe she wasn't. _Aw, hell, I don't know! Shit Naruto, quit focusing on Hinata-chan and LISTEN TO THE HARPY! I mean, SENSEI! _He grit his teeth and forced himself to concentrate on the words coming out of Chikako-sensei's mouth. She was also making hand seals slowly, comparing Hinata-chan's seals to her own and correcting them. But Naruto didn't seem to be able to match the seals to her words. But he too began to form the seals with his hands, reciting aloud in an undertone, "Dog, Ox, Sheep, Pig, Bird, Horse, Koi...wait. What the heck?" He turned to his teacher, hands still frozen in the unknown seal, and complained, "Sensei, what kind of seal is that? Is it even real? I mean, I've never heard anyone use it before!" Chikako glanced at his twisted fingers and said in a soothing tone, "That fine, Uzumaki. You have just right. Now, keep this seal, Hinata-chan, until you have compressed the air, then you can cease, but the field will grow weaker and it will take more chakra control to keep it in place. Uzumaki, did you-"

"You aren't listening to me, sensei! What kind of seal is "Koi"?"

The older woman whirled around to face the male genin, the small rings of braided hair following her. She smiled sweetly and asked, a sickening edge to her voice, "Uzumaki, do you not believe me? Well, here comes rule three: believe it. If I say the sky is red, you better believe it kid because if you don't, A) I'll kick your sorry ass all the way back to Konoha, and B) The sky IS red, but only when the sun is rising or setting. End of lesson: I'm always right when it comes to this crap. Got it?"

"Yeah. Got it."

The boy backed down and stared at his hands, which were twisted in a confusing interlocked way he never knew was physically possible. Whatever, Hinata-chan seemed to be enjoying herself, at least._ Focus! Dammit, Naruto, FOCUS! _Swinging his thoughts back to the jutsu, whose name was just being said aloud carefully as to not permit mistakes, Naruto couldn't help but notice that determined look on Hinata-chan's face. The one he'd seen only once before this training session. Well, twice. The Chunnin Exams and the Scent Bug Incident. _If she thinks it's that important, I'll have to keep up with her. That technique she came up with...and the way she can learn this stuff so quickly...can I keep up?_

"Naruto-kun, did you hear Chikako-sensei? Naruto-kun...?"

Hinata tugged the boy's sleeve, but he was somewhere else entirely. Suddenly, just before her hand was going to retreat, he snatched it and blurted, still not facing her, "Hinata-chan! Can you teach me that technique of yours? Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame no jutsu or whatever?" The dark-haired girl flushed at Naruto-kun wanting to learn _her _jutsu from _her_, but a fist landed down on Naruto's head, forcing him to the ground.

"UZUMAKI! What is the name of my technique?"

"Ouch-ouch-ouch...huh?"

"The. Name. Of. My. Technique."

"Like I'd know! What're you askin' me for? aren't you the one who knows it?"

Chikako's face turned white, then a full spectrum of reds and purples. For once letting her anger show. She lifted the boy off of the ground and seethed, "YOU. ARE. A. FREAKIN'. IDIOT."

"Yeah, I've been getting that from everyone lately. Except for Hinata-chan."

The woman decided it was hopeless to waste her fury on him and set him back down, looking for refuge for annoyance in Hinata, who was muttering the name over and over to keep it in her head. She asked, "Are you ready to give it a go, Hinata-chan?"

"...W-What?"

"Have a go at the technique. To show this idiot what he missed?"

"U-Um...yes sensei..."

"Alright. Whenever you're ready. Uzumaki, watch this."

The slight female ninja drew a deep breath, nervous, before making he hand seals so quickly her hands were almost white blurs, and she exclaimed loudly, Byakugan rising instinctively, "Shiirudo hoorudoappu no jutsu!" For a moment, Naruto could see the air wavering into a sphere-like shape before it flickered away. Chikako inspected Hinata closely, and called to Naruto, "Hey! Uzumaki! Throw a kunai at her!"

"WHAAAAAT?"

"Do it!"

"But-"

"It won't hurt her! Do it quickly before it does! Rule three!"

Naruto pulled the knife from the pack at her side and threw it straight at the space near the back of Hinata's hair, where he knew it would still be in the field but if it didn't work, the knife wouldn't hit Hinata and hurt her. But, just like Chikako, just before the kunai was going to shorn the longest bit of hair in the back of Hinata's head off, the kunai angles off into an upwards direction, where it lodged into a tree branch. Naruto ran off to retrieve it, and Hinata dropped the seal, not drained, but slightly worn out by the effort of holding up the jutsu for that long. Chikako slung her arm around the girl's shoulders and whistled.

"I didn't know you picked stuff up that quickly, Hinata-chan."

"I-I usually don't. It must have been your teaching, Chikako-nee-san."

Chikako just smiled at the innocent compliment, but she knew the answer Hinata didn't. _You nailed it 'cause you're good. Obviously someone's been pushing you the right way, not like that bastard Hiashi-sama's way, but more...and I think I know who it was. Is. _Chikako glanced over her shoulder at the boy now standing up side down on the tree branch pulling with all of his might to get the knife out of the flesh of the tree. And failing. _Now I know what she sees in him. Poor girl, too bad he's a freakin' idiot. But who knows...after what I saw..._

**Chapter Four! Here you go!**

**Shiirudo hoorudoappu no jutsu (translated as shield of hands)- this jutsu uses to small layers of chakra, so thin you have to concentrate to see them in Byakugan, to compress air together to form a 360 degree shield that can absorb or deflect almost any attack from above ground. So far, the only known weaknesses are when the user runs out of chakra or accidentally releases the last hand seal (Koi).**


	5. Buds

**Okay...I'm going to stop stalling now and actually let my plot go. Thank you everyone for your support (not that this is the last chapter!), but here ends Winter Break, and so do my quicker updates. You know how it is...except you don't. For those of you who don't actually know what lilies of the valley are, It's on my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. 'Nuff said.**

Chapter 5: Budding Lilies of the Valley

There was no doubt about it: Naruto and Hinata were freaks of nature. _No one _could have learned Chikako's jutsu so fast and found its greatest fault within three days. Sure, that was all Hinata's doing, but the blonde boy was catching up, faster than expected. Chikako wasn't surprised though. These two, once around each other, were probably some of the most promising "drop-outs" she'd ever seen. Herself included. The only thing she couldn't figure out was what had been holding them back. She suspected that Hinata, after being constantly told she was a failure, just gave up. But Naruto...she didn't get it. Whatever that kid had going for him was working. After watching him work himself to sleep, she had decidedly concluded that it was a strange mixture of jealousy, minor intelligence, and determination that kept the guy awake twice as long as he should be.

Glancing at the drab house she called her home, Chikako groaned and added another thing to do with these two. She stood up from the grass and called out, "Naruto! Hinata-chan! Time for...Hey, do either of you know what time it is?" The answer came in two forms.

"T-The time is sixteen minutes after five, Chikako-sensei!"

"Like I'd know!"

The teacher sighed, deciding to ignore Naruto, and announced, "Okay, time for dinner! Ninja...fall in!" Both Naruto and Hinata appeared before her, Hinata with satisfaction on her face, and Naruto...well...

"Har-uh, Sensei! Can you cook?"

the woman blinked in surprise. _Well, that was unexpected. _She pinched the bridged of her nose and admitted with a sense of embarrassment, "Um, no. Not really. Hinata-chan, can you cook?" Chikako already knew the answer (yes), but the slight girl didn't answer. She only cooked when there was absolutely no one else who could.With a glance of last hope, she lookeded at Naruto-kun, and then Chikako-nee-san. Neither could cook. Finally, the dark-haired girl said, "Y-Yes, but all you have is rice and fish." The sandy-haired woman jerked in sudden awareness and replied, "Well then, we need to go shopping." She gave an innocent look at her confused pupils and continued, "Follow me."

Fifteen minutes later, they had reached the outskirts of a medium-sized town, which was totally unfamiliar to both genin. But the man inside the grocery recognized Chikako. He called out, "Good Evening, Chi-chan, are you looking for food again?" The woman entered the shop and said in a cheery voice, "I am. Hinata-chan, what do you want to make?" The Hyuuga's answer was drowned out by an exited cry, "INSTANT RAMEN!" Naruto leaped over a display of pears and skidded to a stop in front of a shelf in the back of the store. He loaded himself down with cups of instant ramen and ran up to the sandy-haired woman.

"Can we buy all of this? PLEASE?"

"You're kidding."

"Huh? Why would I?"

An argument enthused over the instant ramen, which Naruto was cradling in his arms like a newborn child. Hinata finally spoke up, stating, "U-Um, Naruto-kun, if you want ramen, I could make some homemade ramen, which would cost less..." The male ninja turned to the female ninja, and exclaimed, "You can make ramen? Is it good ramen? Never mind, it's Hinata-chan, so it _must_ be good ramen. Harpy, can we do that? Can we?"

"What did you call me?"

"Har- uh...sensei?"

"You're days are numbered, Uzumaki. Yes: we can do that. What do you need for ramen, Hinata-chan?"

The girl seemed to straighten out, realizing she was in charge at this time, and swiftly stepped along the rows of vegetables, picking out the necessary ingredients. She turned to Naruto, blushing slightly from his previous compliment, and asked, "W-What kind of ramen would you like?" The boy actually had to think about it. Finally, he mused, "I like ramen with pork, but I also want ramen with miso...hmm...Hinata-chan, can you make miso and pork ramen?" Hinata nodded, but ventured, "W-Would you trust me to make something else and you could see if you l-like it? I mean, if you d-don't like it, I can also get pork and make a different type."

"Sure,"

Hinata smiled gratefully and turned to the grocer. She requested, "I'd like some beef please, diced if you can, a bag of those ramen noodles-um, the green bag, not the red one-, and do you have spices?" The grocer began cutting up the meat before pointing to the back and replying amiably, "Next to the bread, miss." The pale girl thanked him and moved towards the back, pausing along the vegetables and fruits, picking up cabbage, an onion, a radish, and a lemon. In front of the large shelf of crushed spices though, she looked like a warrior facing an army. But Hinata deftly ran her fingers along the cubbies, stopping occasionally and scooping out different grades of powder into small bags. Within five minutes, they were out of the shop, loaded down with ingredients, milk, and a grapefruit.

But just before they left the town, Chikako stopped them in front of a small, slightly collapsing shop. She announced firmly, "We're going in here for a few minutes. Naruto, could you stay outside and watch the food?" And without waiting for an answer, the woman pushed Hinata into the store, where the two disappeared into the darkness within. Naruto had a bad feeling about this. Instead of rushing in after them, he followed orders and sat down next to the paper sack of food.

It was all quiet for about ten minutes, until Hinata's voice cried out, "No!" Naruto stirred, but a persuasive voice that sounded like Chikako-sensei followed, and he flopped back onto the ground. Whatever it was, that harpy could handle it. If only he knew what was coming next. When the two female ninja finally exited the store, Hinata was dressed in a kimono. And obviously not one of those cheap ones that you buy to wear on festivals. This was one of those kimonos that you only wore at special occasions like weddings. And he couldn't stop himself: his mouth dropped open. It wasn't like he had ever seen Hinata in traditional dress: after all, he'd seen her outside her home wearing a green kimono one day, but it was the wrong color for her. This one, however, was totally right. It was a light blue, so light it was almost lavender, and covered with white flowers. Naruto didn't know what they were, but they were so simplistic: so _pure_, he wanted to reach out and touch them, and smell their sweet scent. Chikako-sensei's voice hovered somewhere far away, asking with the accompanied smirk, "Well, Naruto-kun, what do you think?" The blonde boy swallowed nervously, realizing his mouth was completely dry. He began, "Beautiful. Just...beautiful."

The pale girl wearing the kimono fought the urge to squeak and lowered her head, hiding her smile and red face. A hand landed on her shoulder, and she heard Chikako say, "Well, should I get it for her?"

"Chikako-nee-san, please, you've been kind enough. I don't need it."

Hinata could still remember those blank days around Hanabi's birth. The last time she saw her mother alive, curled around herself in the bed, barely conscious. The next day, holding her younger sister in her arms while watching her mother be buried. The change in her father's eyes, from firm to deadly. And her first slap across the face, only days after her mother wasn't there to protect her. The cruel words delivered with it. The hands that used to tuck her into bed every night ripping the silk from her body. The coldness she felt as she bowed on the floor in front of her father, wearing the bottom layer of a kimono, holding back tears and begging forgiveness. His reply. _A failure like yourself does not deserve such fineries as your kimonos.They will be given to Hanabi. Hopefully they won't curse her to be a waste of space. _How she looked at her room and saw no trace of herself within it. And this kimono: it was too good for someone like her. She objected, "I c-can't."

"Hm? But I want to give it to you."

The girl was already taking off the outer layer of the kimono, fingers gently taking away what she was trained to be unworthy of. Without a sound, Hinata disappeared back into the decrepit building, folding the outer layer as she went. Naruto looked after her, confused. But just as he could no longer see her form in the shop, Chikako said softly, so quietly Naruto wasn't even sure the woman had said anything, "Naruto, you didn't know, did you?" And then the woman went into the after the female ninja, leaving Naruto next to the food, totally perplexed. _What the heck was that all about? And Hinata-chan looked great. Why didn't she let Har-uh-Chikako-sensei buy it for her? Wait..._He looked around himself. Realizing he was alone with the groceries again, Naruto yelled, annoyed, "Oy! Why am I out here alone again?"

"S-Sorry Naruto-kun, I just had to change back."

The blonde boy jumped and turned embarrassedly to Hinata, who looked like she had just been slapped. Naruto stepped back, hit by the sad look on her face, and stammered, "I-I didn't mean you, Hinata-chan...I was just...just...talking...uh...about...Hinata-chan! How long will it take for you to make ramen?"

"M-Maybe half an hour, Naruto-kun."

She glanced over at the groceries to be sure they still were there, and noted the milk beginning to go bad. Hinata really wanted leave, but Chikako-nee-san still hadn't emerged from the kimono shop. And when the sandy-haired woman finally did appear, she was carrying two packages. When Naruto asked what they were, the teacher obstinately refused to show them. Instead, she just gave a quick glance towards Hinata, who shrank back a bit with a small "meep". She knew that look: it was the look of someone who was about to force something on her. The look Kurenai-sensei gave her just before allowing her to stay the night. Okay, okay: forced her to stay the night. And Hinata always tried to turn her down. Needless to say, the Hyuuga always failed.

Naruto was the first back inside the cottage, so he began unpacking the food he had at high speed, figuring the faster he went, the faster the ramen would be made. Hinata landed next to him, back curved upwards to counterbalance the food she was weighed down with. But instead of helping the impulsive ninja unpack, she picked up the wooden bucket and went around to the back to fill it with water from the creek. She was begging that Naruto-kun wouldn't follow her, but the boy dropped the lemon into the refrigerator and followed her out to the back. She was sure to stay at least five feet away from Naruto: the last time they had been closer she'd...Hinata blushed from the memory and quickly shucked off her sandals to distract Naruto's even gaze away from her pink face. She hurriedly rolled up the legs of her capris so they were around her knees and carefully splashed into the creek, dragging the bucket in the crystal water behind her. _Please, Naruto-kun, don't follow me. I just need time for myself, to fix, to erase..._More purposeful splashes behind her, coming her way in the narrow ribbon of water. _Damn. _

"Hinata-chan..."

"Please, Naruto-kun, I need a m-moment."

"Hinata-chan, tell me what happened between the Head and Branch families."

"N-Nothing an outsider should know or learn."

Her father's constant answer drilled it's way out of her mouth before she could even think. The female ninja's head snapped up to observe the suddenly frozen Naruto behind her. _Oh no..._ She dropped he wooden pail, bare feet slipping on the smooth stones in the bed of the creek, and said in a higher-pitched voice, "N-No! I didn't mean it like that, father-"

"I'm an outsider, huh?"

"S-Sorry, Naruto-kun, I can tell you..."

"I'm listening Hinata-chan."

Hinata snatched up the wooden bucket just before it was carried away by the current. She dipped it ino the water and began in an even tone, "How much did Neji-nii-san tell you at the Chunnin Exams? I was unconscious at the time, so forgive me for not knowing." Naruto blinked. She was...unconscious during his final match of the Chunnin Exam? Why was he disappointed? The question blurted out.

"You were unconscious?"

Hinata-chan seemed uprooted by his sudden concern.

"Y-Yes. I left the hospital to early to see you...and Neji-nii-san and Shino-kun fight. I fell unconscious about a quarter of the way through the match. When I woke up, well..."

"Yeah, all hell was loose. Neji had told me about you getting kidnapped and his father being the replacement for yours. And the caged bird seal..."

Hinata let her arms keep the bucket barely above the water, liquid frothing around the bottom. So Naruto-kun knew about the caged bird seal. And her uncle's death. The only sound for a minute was the sound of leaves whispering their secrets to each other and the fluid song of the creek. And then Hinata said, "When Hanabi was born, my mother died. And things...changed. That is all I can say."

"Hinata-chan, I think I know."

"Y-You do?"

She dropped the bucket. It quickly was caught by the current, but Naruto jumped after it, barely managing to catch it before it tipped. He waded back upstream to the Hyuuga girl, and continued, "I know. You know what I know. I know."

Hinata had never felt so grounded before. But the assurance that someone knew, and someone cared, made her want to fall sobbing in Naruto's arms. But she resisted the impulse, comforting tears welling up, but still in control. He was treating it like it was their secret, something so connected, so personal, that they didn't even have to explain it to each other. She repeated, "I-I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun, but this is only for three months, and then I have to go back. If father ever found out that I had told an outsider, and with Hanabi telling him that we were out here alone, I...I don't want to think about it. But thank you."

Naruto was too resisting an urge: although his battle was against hugging the girl. He was beginning to recognize a pattern. Whenever he came within six inches of her, she fainted. Why? Naruto didn't know, but it was strangely flattering. _Aw hell, so what if she faints? I can revive her. _He hugged Hinata, ignoring he water from the bucket sloshing all over his legs, and replied softly, "No problem, Hinata-chan. But just know you have someone to talk to. Me." Hinata heard those words again: the words that she knew Naruto meant in a friendly way, but she wished were meant so differently...

If only she knew this time her wishes were somewhat true.

And the suggestion that Shino had told that had been eating it's way through her common sense finally snapped it.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hm?"

"I-I have something to show you. Well, tell you..."

------

The dark-haired boy concealed in a tree repressed a smirk. Whatever Naruto was doing to what's-her-name was personal. _Poor girl_. But the coil of moving muscle that was slung around his neck reminded him of his purpose at the area, and he focused back on the house.

_This is going to be too easy._

_But loads of fun._

**I'm assuming the following things: **

**A) Everyone here knows what Hinata now knows that Naruto knows and that she sort of always knew Naruto knew what she knows or else you wouldn't be good NaruHina fans. (I know it's confusing to think about...)**

**B) Everyone knows who is in the tree. No surprise there. Maybe...**

**C) Everyone knows what Chikako bought (but what is the other package?)**

**D) No one will gripe me about basically writing an entirely fluffy chapter. I'm a thirteen-year-old girl, for God's sake. Cut me some slack: I'm writing some pretty non-thriteen-year-old stuff here.**

**E) No one will think that the lemon Hinata's going to use in the ramen is a foreshadowing...cuz it ISN'T. I REFUSE. (Politely.)**

**F) You know by now this is a SasuSaku fic as well. I know, sooo unoriginal, but whatever.**

**Signing off.**


	6. Chains

**...I've decided that anything resembling my life must look like some sort of dead mammal covered in fungus...never mind...**

**Disclaimer: **ñõ ñ‹ÇÍ óÃìyÇ»ÇÈ

Chapter 6: Invisible Chains

Hinata knew what she was about to talk about was forbidden on all levels, but she could feel the unspoken words bumping around in her mouth. It was too late; she had to say them. Somewhere, deep in the back crevices of her mind, the Hyuuga heiress could tell that this was right. The only part of her mind that hadn't been flattened by her father's strict mental and physical training. _Say it. Don't faint. Say it. Don't faint!_

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hm?"

"I-I have something to show you. Well, tell you..."

"Go ahead and tell me then. You don't need my permission."

Naruto-kun looked so relaxed, so content with her, that Hinata was about to start crying again.

He was clueless.

He was aware.

He was a freakin' idiot.

He was a genius.

He knew what she'd done; what she'd been through.

He never understood a single thing she did.

"Hinata-chan...? You there?"

He was alike.

He was so different.

He was blunt and obnoxious.

He was comforting.

_Say it! Don't faint! SAY IT!_

"R-Remember the Scent Bug mission?"

"Uh-huh...? And...?"

"A-And you said you saw a g-goddess or something in the waterfall? A dr-dream?"

"Oh, you were listening to me talk to Kiba?"

Naruto was thinking furiously, his mind finally beginning to organize what his thoughts had been on that one night. The night he couldn't remember. IT was something to do with the waterfall...something to do with Sakura...something to do with that bastard Itachi Uchiha...something to do with Hinata-chan..._Aw, WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING ABOUT?_

"Th-That was me!"

"Huh?"

"Um...the goddess was me..."

_Oh YEAH! Oh...yeah...um..._

The female ninja was literally grappling with her unconsciousness in order to keep her ground. Trembling from the dreadful silence, she slowly raised her head to glance at Naruto-kun, only to notice the look on his face. Hurt, she snapped back into her original stance, face bowed, hand raised to her mouth. He looked like he had just now put it together. And in truth, he pretty much had, but Hinata was expecting..._shut up! You know he'd never act like that. He'd never had known and not gone ahead and told you. You're pathetic, clinging onto such a pointless hope. _

Actually, Naruto was just recalling what else had been connected to his thoughts. Hinata-chan, puzzle, waterfall-goddess, and Sakura...something to do with that...? Well, it didn't matter. He checked on the Hyuuga who was still within the unsafe six inches surrounding him, only to realize she had this look on her face. A look he'd only seen on three other people's faces. Ever.

One was his own, every day he woke up and saw himself in the mirror.

Another was Fuzzy Eyebrows', whenever Neji put him down or any other "drop-out".

And the last was Sasuke's face, just after he awoke from Itachi's mental torture...just before he left Naruto all alone...

And now Naruto had another face to add to his grim collection. Hinata-chan's.

It was the look of someone who didn't know what to do.

Someone who didn't want what they had or knew about life.

Someone filled with regret and disappointment in themselves.

Someone who thought they were worthless.

And Naruto knew that no one should ever have that look.

In fact, he had no idea on how to remove the look from Hinata-chan's face. So he tried the one thing that came to mind: ignore it and hope it goes away. But another glance at the look on Hinata-chan's face totally disregarded the thought. Whatever she had in her, she needed to get out. Now.

"I knew that...I just thought you wouldn't want me to know about it..."

_Liar._

_Crap. She knows I'm lying._

The girl shook her head, longest bits of black hair whipping back and forth over her red face, and continued desperately, "Naruto-kun, it's not that! I know that you don't want me here. I can tell! But all I'm asking is that you be open...I can understand, step away, disappear...It's what I've been trained to do!"

Before he could even think about it, Naruto had grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her slightly. His blue eyes were flashing with a purpose he had no idea he possessed, and he opened his mouth angrily to release, "WHO DID THIS TO YOU? WHO TOLD YOU YOU NEEDED TO DISAPPEAR?"

"M-My father has always said-"

"SCREW YOUR FATHER! GEEZ, MAKES ME SO PISSED!"

"T-T-That not true! I really should just not exist! I-"

"WELL, THAT SUCKS BIG-TIME FOR HIM, BECAUSE YOU EXIST ALREADY! SCREW YOUR FREAKIN' FATHER, HE DOESN'T KNOW JACK-SHIT ABOUT YOU!"

Hinata was beyond fainting or crying. Her Naruto-kun was coming face-to-face with the ugliest things in her pathetic life. And for some reason, he was trying to fix it. She didn't know what to say next, but she had a feeling that it would be something about her past. So she dug deep into the dark, confused mess that was her heart, and brought out the ugliest thing she'd ever known.

"I _AM _WORTHLESS! I KNOW IT, EVERYONE DOES! EVEN HANABI! DO YOU KNOW WHAT FATHER IS DOING TO HER? AFTER SHE STARTED TRAINING WITH HIM, I LOST HER! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WATCH YOUR BABY SISTER BECOME ANOTHER ENEMY? ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER WHO SAYS YOU'RE A FAILURE? ANOTHER DEVICE MY FATHER WILL USE TO ERASE ME? DO YOU?"

"I...I don't..."

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE THE EMBARRASSMENT OF THE MOST HONORED CLAN IN KONOHA? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FEEL LIKE EVERY DAY YOU SPEND IN YOUR HOME IS A DAY YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO KNOW THAT THE REASON EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS BEING HELD BACK IS BECAUSE OF YOU? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR EVERY MORNING AND KNOW EVERY SHRED OF HOPE YOU EVER HAD HAS BEEN KILLED? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO KNOW THE ONE PERSON YOU'LL EVER LOVE BARELY KNOWS YOU EXIST? Barely knows...I exist..."

Hinata was beginning to lose all restraint on her feelings. If she got any farther, she'd end up confessing. She'd barely ever yelled in her life, and here she was, emptying it all out on someone she'd wanted to hide this from so badly. She began to close up, forcing back the scalding tears and hoping that she hadn't just killed the only opportunity she had. But Naruto was still there, clinging onto her shoulders, that strange light she'd seen come into his eyes recently present, looking more subdued than she'd ever seen him. The male ninja tugged the girl closer and tried not to let his voice show he was afraid of her. He whispered fiercely, "You _are_ worth something! Never, _never_, let _anyone_ tell you otherwise! I can't say I understand everything you've been through, but it's okay now. You have me, and Shino, and Kiba, and Chikako, and Neji, and even Tsunade-baa-chan! Your father gave up on you right? So you have nothing to lose! _Show_ him that you _are_ worth something!"

Her fingers, which originally had been trying to restrain him from shaking her senseless, now tightened on the sleeve of his jacket. She had always known. She had always had it hidden somewhere deep inside her. Why else would she still be a ninja? She wanted to prove her father wrong. She wanted to see that gentle pride that had been in his eyes when she was younger. She wanted him to wake her up in the mornings, and tuck her in at night. She wanted Neji-nii-san to understand why she was the way she was. But most of all, she wanted Naruto-kun to see what she really was. She smiled happily, but so slightly that only the silent audience noticed it, before burying her face into the orange shoulder and whispering incoherent sentences no one understood.

_So that was what it was..._

_Naruto-kun..._

_I love her?_

_I love you._

"You know, I am truly sorry to interrupt, but I've been waiting on water for the past five minutes."

Chikako-harpy-sensei was getting to good at appearing at the wrong moments. Naruto grit his teeth, swallowing a string of cuss-words, and practically dragged Hinata, ten pounds of water and all, back to the house. He dropped the pot on the gas stove and rounded back to the woman behind him. But before he could start, Hinata slipped in between them. She purposely attracted attention to herself as she began dicing vegetables next to the stove, carefully shredding lettuce and onions. She heard a rustling sound, and Chikako joined her, sleeves rolled up. The brown-eyed jounin rolled her eyes at the steaming boy behind her. It was amazing how quickly the guy got on your nerves. And twice as amazing at how quickly he could become essential.

When the water was boiling, Hinata loaded in the noodles and some spices, trying her best to ignore Naruto. But it was impossible to not feel her neck prickle because of the blue eyes following her movements. She bit her lip. If only the noodles would soften more quickly, then she could remove herself from the heated spotlight. The noodles shirked their obligations to their creator. _Crap._ Patiently, the girl began soaking the beef in the lemon juice, carefully sprinkling more spices over the meat as she steadily stirred the pot with her other hand. Naruto wanted to help, but he could already see himself standing before a lumpy charcoal mess that Hinata-chan had tried to save. So he kept his wants to himself. He _wanted _this ramen. Even if it meant just sitting quietly. By God, he would _get_ that ramen. And he would _eat_ it, too. _I sound like this is more precious than gold. It's just ramen. What am I THINKING? IT'S RAMEN!_

Five minutes later, the three ninja were all seated around a table, each with a steaming bowl in front of them. Silence. Then a yelp of "ITADAKIMASU **(thank you for the food)**!", and the blonde boy drove into the food. But something about it made him slow down. It wasn't the usual meaty ramen he enjoyed. The spices mixed well with the still-crunchy vegetables, and created a diversity to the softer noodles and beef. And then the trick: it was _tangy_, which must have been the lemon. All the different tastes exploded so separately that he _had_ to slow down to catch them all. Across the table from him, Hinata laid down her chopsticks, too nervous to even begin, and noticed how slowly the male ninja was eating. Usually he would have finished three bowls or so by now. Was that good...or was it bad? Her teeth raked along her bottom lip again. An unusual wind stirred her hair slightly. She couldn't recall leaving a window open...something hard and cold trailed along her shoulder towards her neck. She looked down at the kunai, and then back at its owner. Naruto dropped his chopsticks.

"I'm home, 'Fraidy Cat."

"You!"

"Huh. It_ is_ me. I _never_ noticed."

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, grab a bowl. Hinata-chan made ramen."

"Hn...'Fraidy Cat, pass me a bowl, will you?"

Instead of passing the bowl, Naruto picked it up and threw it. Sasuke calmly dodged, watching the ceramic shatter against the wall with a cocked eyebrow before muttering, "Fine, I'll get it myself." Naruto was still not satisfied. He quickly drained his bowl and demanded, "SASUKE!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HE-"

"Eating. Duh."

"I MEANT, WHA-"

"Chikako-sensei, you didn't tell them?"

"What do _you_ think?"

"WELL I THINK YOU'RE A BACK-STABBING BI-"

"Are you planning to tell them?"

"Sometime...Sasuke-kun, could you stop threatening Hinata-chan with the kunai and eat with us like something remotely civilized?"

The black-haired boy removed the knife with a flourish and kneeled down next to Hinata, who shrank away. He muttered "Itadakimasu," and began to eat with precision. There was thick, rancid silence as he collectedly finished the bowl, and then turned to Hinata like he'd never abandoned Konoha village for Orochimaru. Sasuke kept his face as straight as he could, and stated simply, "So, how long have you and Naruto been dating?"

"E-Excuse me?"

"You. Naruto. Dating. How long?"

The outcome was exactly what Sasuke had wanted: the girl's face exploded into redness and she stammered incoherently before passing out for a moment. _This is going to be so much fun._ Watching the Hyuuga's lavender eyes flutter open, Sasuke turned his attention back to the fuming Naruto with a smirk. You had to love how easily you could piss Naruto off. And Sasuke hadn't been able to do it for a good four months now. Orochimaru and Kabuto are only half as fun to torture. He casually ladled himself another bowel of the ramen, and continued flatly, "So...since Chikako-sensei graciously left me to do all of the dirty work, let me explain. About a month and a half ago, Orochimaru sent me out to find you, Naruto. From what he'd heard about your recent...ah...whatever you've done, he wanted my to fight you again."

"I'M READY!"

"Shut up. But instead of invading Konoha to find you, I've been in contact with Chikako-sensei until you came out here."

"WHICH MEANS THIS FREAKIN' HARPY'S A TRAITOR?!"

"_No_. Shut up and let me finish before you accuse anyone of anything. I never meant to fight you. In truth, this is the first time Orochimaru's let me outside of his sight. He sent the rest of my "team" to follow me, but...Anyway, once I got to the Sound village, I realized exactly how I would benefit: sure, I'd get to kill _him_, but I'd like to continue living after that. Regenerate my clan, and all of that. Unfortunately, as the meat puppet for Orochimaru, I can't exactly do that. Idiot told everything I need to know to finally kill Itachi. I'd been getting messages out to Chikako-sensei, who'd found my first one on a tree trunk when I left. She knew I'd had my reasons for deserting, and better reasons for coming back. So here I am, on the run from technically two villages, and eating ramen with an heiress, a person who right now probably wants to castrate me, and Chikako-sensei."

"Sasuke-kun, please, keep your language polite. There are girls present."

"STILL! YOU FREAKIN' KNOCKED SAKURA-CHAN OUT, ALMOST GOT HINATA-CHAN, KIBA, SHINO, AND I KILLED BY ESTRANGED BEE-KEEPERS, AND RUINED KONOHA'S SECURITY!"

"And...?"

"AND YOU'RE EXPECTING US TO WELCOME YOU BACK WITH FREAKIN' OPEN ARMS?!"

"Naruto, the language warning goes for you as well."

The two boys were glaring at each other in that weird mix of admiration, hatred, respect, and repulsion. Hinata held up the beginning seal for Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame behind her back. She didn't exactly understand what happened between the two male members of Team 7, but from what she heard, it had been ugly in the end. And she knew that Naruto had been in the hospital for a long time afterwards, almost a week, which was very long in Naruto's standards of healing. She remembered standing outside of his hospital room with a crocus clutched to her chest, wanting to go in and see the unconscious genin, but knowing that Sakura was in there as well. And Hinata knew Naruto would rather wake up and see Sakura sobbing over him than that freak who always fainted around him.

"S-So...what do you need to tell us?"

"Ah, Hinata. If I'm going to return to Konoha, I have two things I need to do first: kill Orochimaru, Kabuto, and my brother. Kabuto I can handle. Itachi I need to handle. Orochimaru, however, I'm going to need...um..heee...heelll..."

"Oh my God, Sasuke-kun, are you asking for help?"

"Um...yeah."

By now the ramen was long gone, and Hinata had begun to gather the plates inconspicuously. She glanced at the addition to the household, who was blushing slightly and trying to act like he wasn't. She hadn't known Uchiha Sasuke well, but she knew what had happened to him. _That's one advantage I have, _she thought wryly, _Being in an old clan gives me access to more information._

The muscles in her back tensed, like she was being watched, and Hinata glanced over her shoulder out the windowNothing was there, but as she scrunched to the far side of her bed to allow Chikako-sensei more room, she couldn't get it out of her mind.

-------

Naruto and Sasuke had been forced into the same bed. Neither of them wanted too, but the alternative was one of them sleeping with Hinata-chan, and the other with the harpy-sensei. First of all, that would make Hinata uncomfortable beyond words, and second of all, whoever had to sleep with the harpy-sensei would be one unlucky bastard. There was no moon, but the pressing black wasn't comforting like it should be. Instead, the two boys lay as far apart as they could from each other while still on one bed, and stared up at where the ceiling presumably was. Naruto opened his mouth, hoping it would prevent him from staying awake longer, but instead, words came out.

"Sasuke..."

"Hn?"

"How could you do that. To Sakura-chan?"

"..."

"She told me you just knocked her out. How could you?"

"...I didn't just knock her out."

"So?"

"She confessed."

"To what?"

"Okay. You're too much of an idiot for this. I'll explain more when you possibly grow more brains."

"Bastard."

"Look in a mirror for once. You'll see a bigger one. _Good night_ already."

"She told you she loved you, didn't she?"

"Hn..."

"Well, _shit_."

"Open your eyes, idiot, and look at what you have."

"Huh? First Shino, and now you! That made no sense!"

"..."

"Sasuke?"

"..."

_Bastard._

**There you go. Ramen! Sasuke! Sarcasm! Suspense! Romance! Drama! Cheesecake! Not the fan service cheesecake, the pastry. I end every list with it. Don't ask. I love writing Sasuke because he can be sarcastic...and yes, he is OOC, but it'll make sense soon...Oh, there at the end, Sasuke fell asleep on him. That is all...**

**What?**


	7. Wings

**Yeah...So I've gotten mixed feelings about Sasuke...all I can say was: I WARNED YOU LIKE TWICE! YOUR FAULT FOR NOT READING MY NOTES!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not within my possession.**

Chapter 7: Broken Wings

The next morning was carried out in a roaring silence. Naruto couldn't even tell what he was eating for breakfast...it was a fruit. Or meat. Or bread. Who cared? Across from him, Hinata sipped her tea, eyes closed, and prayed that once she opened them, the recent addition to the temporary family would be gone. Black eyelashes revealed pale eyes. Black, expressionless ones looked back. Uchiha Sasuke was still there. Hinata set the cup back down onto the table, the tapping sound it produced amplified by the silence. The two boys looked over at her, almost as if she'd just been extremely rude, and then returned to their silent activities. Hinata sighed. This was going to take a while to fix.

She stood and went outside, where the frigid silence could not reach her. Not noticing that the two boys had turned to look out at her, she breathed in deeply, feeling her ribcage rise and fall slowly, then bent back as far as she could. When her palms hit grass, she stopped, smiling as her bent spine cracked slightly. Hinata didn't hear the door open and close. She didn't hear the two boys sit down in the grass to watch her. All she heard was Naruto, Neji, and her father clambering around in her head. It didn't take long for Naruto to win, maybe a few nanoseconds. She put all of her weight on her hands, slowly easing her feet off of the grass until she felt her shirt beginning to fall. Embarrassed that she'd lost awareness, Hinata tightened into a roll and ended up sprawled on he grass, face to the sky. The pale girl stretched, hands running along her head for a moment before arching out and returning to her sides. She was at peace.

That was, until Naruto appeared out of nowhere, leaning over her.

"Hinata-chan! Good morning!"

"Kyah! W-W-Were you watching?"

"Yep! You like dancing, don't you?"

"Oh no...I mean, y-y-yes!"

The Hyuuga girl sat up quickly, conscious of her crush's eyes on her, and hurriedly crossed her arms, just in case. The blonde boy sat down next to her, and Sasuke came into existence on her other side, close enough to be included, but definitely removed from the other two. Naruto immediately lost he light in his face when the black-haired boy sat down, and the silence returned. Hinata resisted the urge to drop her head into her hands. Hadn't she just left this? So she said, "Sasuke-kun? Naruto-kun? Will one of you explain?"

No one answered her, and both of the male ninja looked away.

"Please?"

For a moment, there was complete silence, and then Sasuke said in a flat tone, "I left. He didn't want me too. We fought. I won. I left again. Any questions?" Obviously it wasn't all of the matter, but who was Hinata to pry? Naruto's chin hit his knees as he pulled them to his chest with his arms. He looked like he was about to give up on everything. Hinata tried to look away, but she couldn't. Naruto-kun was never supposed to look like that. He was supposed to be happy, all wide smiles and energy. Not broken. Hinata was broken, so he shouldn't be. The girl turned her head to observe the boy on her other side. For the first time, she noticed that he half-healed slashes near his hairline, where the band of a forehead protector would be. She opened her mouth, about to ask, when Sasuke glanced over at her and hurriedly looked away. _So he doesn't want us to notice the wounds...Why? _

"Naruto! Quit trying to look down Hinata-chan's shirt!"

All three ninja jumped, and scrambled onto their feet to face their "sensei". Hinata flushed, crossing her arms even more tightly, once again aware she was still without her jacket. Thankfully, Chikako-sensei seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because when she strode out of the house, she handed Hinata's jacket to her before stating, "Sasuke, you're coming with me to go shopping. Hinata-chan, once we get back, I want you to break down your jutsu for these two. Until then, you and Naruto get a head start."

"Head start on what, Chikako-nee-san?"

"C'mon Sasuke-kun, it's this way."

Naruto cursed to himself as the damned harpy left with the damned bastard, and asked Hinata, "Did she even tell us what to get a head start on?"

"N-No..."

"Damned harpy. What needs be done chore-wise?"

The girl shook her head. The house was clean enough, there was water and wood, and Sasuke-kun and Chikako-nee-san had just left for food, so there was nothing. Naruto suddenly sniffed himself and announced, "Ugh. I'm going to take a bath. You probably need one too." And without waiting for a confirmation, he snatched Hinata's wrist and walked into the house for soap. Upon finding it and towels, he let go of Hinata's wrist and said, "Let's find a good place. Do you know of any relatively deep water around here?"

"Yes, but-"

"Great! Can you show me where it is?"

He pushed her out of the door, and the two took off through the trees, Hinata still protesting. Naruto, on the other hand, even though he had indeed been trying to look down Hinata's shirt barely two minutes ago, had no clue what he had just implied. So it was a relief for Hinata when they reached the waterfall that Naruto said he would go downstream, and ran down the bank of the creek until she couldn't hear his feet hitting the pebbles anymore. Hinata stared at the water for a moment before taking off her jacket and capris, leaving her shorts and tank top on. She had learned her lesson about bathing naked in rivers when Naruto saw her two months ago, and at least wore two layers. Years of being around Shino had begun to affect her clothing choices. Whatever that meant.

Silently, she stepped into the water, adjusting to the temperature before going knee-deep in he current, letting her toes squish pleasantly into the pebbles and mud. Hinata smiled blissfully and turned back towards the shore, where the soap was waiting. The girl had just finished washing her hair under the waterfall when she felt like someone was watching her. Her muscles stiffened, but she forced herself to relax. Reaching out randomly from the waterfall, the girl stretched again, spine curving back onto itself as her opposite leg brushed the rock behind her as it lifted. Her muscles uncoiled slightly, and the girl closed her eyes. And then her index finger slipped through the ring of the kunai, flipping it up into her hand.

The Hyuuga's eyes snapped open in Byakugan, new vision and power surging within her reach, and immediately identified the source for her discomfort. A person crouching in the bushes nearby, their chakra pathways twisting as their head turned to watch her bathe. A pervert! Bestowing no mercy on the unknown person, Hinata used the rock behind her to spring into the air, throwing the knife with frightening accuracy at the bush as she flew further from the waterfall. She landed in the water, arms thrown straight out to one side as the result from the attack, and waited for whatever he was to hit the ground dead or move. Instead, Naruto called out from further down the creek, "Hinata-chan! That was a shadow clone of mine! He was there to make sure nothing happened to you! I'm going to conjure another one! Don't kill it please!"

Hinata flushed and sloshed through the water to retrieve the kunai. On her way back, she met up with the clone, who grinned in the classic Naruto way and returned to his position behind the bushes, directly where his predecessor had been. Hinata's heart faltered for a moment, forgetting that this clone wasn't actually Naruto, and she wished she hadn't thrown the kunai in the first place. Now she felt like an idiot. A big, freakin' idiot. She ventured back into the water, beginning to wash her limbs furiously, hoping her embarrassment would be scrubbed off along with the dirt. It didn't work.

In front of her, concealed in the bushes, Naruto bit his lip. Sure, he'd lied to Hinata-chan, but it was only because he loved watching her dance. It was almost magical, like she was someone different. But whenever he was around, she'd stop and it was embarrassing to ask her to dance. Plus, it wasn't like she was naked or anything. Not this time, anyway...His thoughts snapped back to paying attention as the Hyuuga slowly untwisted herself from the position, arms flowing into a curving motion. Her feet parted and then the legs twisted complicatedly. It was hard to watch without dividing into separate parts. If Naruto tried to see it all as one, he wouldn't catch every detail like he wished he could. He know grace and flexibility was necessary for ninja, but he'd never seen it applied to anything else as gorgeous. Even without the glow from the river against the surrounding black, her dance was simply that: gorgeous.

Hinata morphed into the last position in her dance, holding it for one moment to allow her muscles to adjust to it before sitting down in the water, laughing cheerfully. She didn't know if anyone had ever heard her laugh before: it was one of those things she was taught not to do. Obviously, someone who had the time to laugh had time to practice more, or so her father said. The beatings had almost extinguished any laughter within her, but when she was alone and at peace, Hinata would just think of funny things and laugh. The "clone" shuffled around in the bushes, making the Hyuuga's laugh fade slightly. Naruto could probably hear her. _Oh well. Laugh if you want, Hinata._ But the happy sound died anyway.

Naruto noticed the sudden loss in mirth and quickly tried to disregard it. She wouldn't, shouldn't, _couldn't_ know that it was really him in the bushes, but just in case, Naruto crouched down lower to the ground, in case of another accurate knife.

The girl finally looked at the sun overhead, noting its position in the sky. It was time to go back. She hadn't heard a word from Naruto since he conjured up the clone. She blushed, thinking of what he might be doing, and sat down on the shore to let the sun dry her skin. Naruto began crawling backwards so that he could leave without losing sight of Hinata. His knee snapped a twig, and Hinata tensed for a moment, her face not in his sight. But she relaxed again. _It's just the clone, Hinata..._She closed her eyes, ears sharpening with the loss of sight, and fell back onto the sand, pale arms cushioning her head between them.

"Ne ne, Hinata-chan..."

Hinata resisted the urge to jump to her feet and bolt. She turned her head to the side and opened her eyes to the blonde genin next to her. This was the real Naruto. She knew it was.

"Y-Yes?"

"I was wonderin'...about the whole waterfall thing..."

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"Why do you always hide when you dance?"

Hinata flushed, lavender eyes widening. She forced herself to answer, "I-It's just...i-it's something I do when I need to...to...g-get away...I guess. I don't know why I h-hide when I dance, i-it's just out of habit." Naruto nodded, and then shook his head. He protested, "Why should that be a habit?" Hinata looked surprised for a moment, before she closed her mouth and looked up at the sky, enjoying the warmth form the sun. She couldn't say. She knew, but she just couldn't. Naruto stared at the profile of the person that made him feel calm, and it clicked.

_-You didn't know, did you?_

_-Because we weren't worth remembering..._

_-Things changed. That is all I can say._

_-If father finds out, he'll..._

_-I think I know, Hinata-chan..._

_-h-hide when I dance, i-it's just a h-habit._

Naruto tensed, restraining his hands from curling into fists and his mouth from pulling back into an angry snarl. He tensed up, and forced out, "Hinata-chan...did your father ever try...to...kill you?" Hinata froze, face unreadable. She could feel the water rising to her eyes, but she replied in a relatively calm voice, "D-Define "kill"..."

"Hurt any part of your well-being."

"Th-Then...yes, but-"

"There isn't a but, Hinata-chan. There just isn't."

"But there has to be!"

"What?"

They both sat up, looking at each other. Hinata's eyes finally let the tears pass, and she shook her head fiercely, longest parts of her dark hair whipping from side to side. Naruto stared at her, finally understanding completely, and wanting to reach out and hold her face still so he could see into her pale eyes. Eyes so pale that feelings were lost within them, totally wiped out. But never forgotten. Just hidden.

"There has to be! Otherwise, it wouldn't make any sense for father to...to treat me as he does! There has to be, or Neji's father wouldn't have died in place of my father!

"That famous ninja who was trying to kidnap a Hyuuga? That Hyuuga was me! _I _was the problem! _I _was the one that ninja was killed over! _I _was the reason why that country asked for my father's death, and why my uncle went in his stead! _I _am the reason why Neji hates the Head family!

"So, there has to be a "but"! Otherwise, I would've been killed by now...removed...erased...I'm a burden! A mistake! A waste of my father's time and resources, yet he keeps me in his home! Why? Because there's something else!"

"Hinata-chan...we both know what the but is, and it isn't what you hope."

"Tell me then! What is the "but" that has kept me alive?!"

"If he killed you or shoved you off into the street, it would cause a scandal that would dishonor the Hyuuga clan."

Hinata had always reached that conclusion. But for Naruto-kun to reach the same conclusion was devastating. And oddly final. She was leaving the compound. Obviously, the only reason for her to remain at the Hyuuga clan's home was to continue to learn Hyuuga techniques. But she was sure Neji and Hanabi would help her. She didn't know what her father would do to her once he found out she was gone, but she didn't feel it was necessary for her to think about it. _It will be okay...but...where will I go? I can't stay with Kiba-kun or Shino...Sakura-chan was just put under Tsunade-sama's control, and Hokage-sama would ask questions...Ino is relatively the same...Tenten lives by herself in an apartment, so I can't trouble her...That leaves Shikamaru-kun, Chouji-kun, and...and...Naruto-kun...And I don't know Shikamaru-kun and Chouji-kun well enough to impose on them...so..._

Naruto misunderstood her silence, and reached out to touch her shoulder, wanting to apologize for saying something so cutting. For a moment, he felt her smooth, pale skin against his fingers before she flinched and looked at him accusingly. Like he'd violated her, or contaminated something within her. Naruto wanted to pull back, and let it go, but his hand reached out farther and stroked the right side of Hinata-chan's face. Her eyes immediately widened, but all anger and fear were erased as his hand stopped on her jaw. She blushed, but let him repeat the action, almost like a scared dog being soothed by its master. Hinata opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The blonde boy slid closer to her and let his hand drop into his lap. He stared at his fingers. They were tingling like he'd encountered something electric. It was numbing, pleasant, and unusual. But he didn't understand why every time he opened his mouth around her, he said something he meant. No empty promises, no white lies, no glorifications. He didn't act like that when he was around Sakura-chan, or even Kakashi-sensei.

"N-Naruto-kun..."

"Yeah?"

"W-Would it be okay if once w-we finish this training..."

"It would be training if we actually did anything."

"...c-could I l-live with y-you?"

"What?"

"I mean, it would only be for a little while until I can find a job and somewhere I could st-stay, but..."

"But you already live somewhere. Your house?"

"I've never lived in that house. I slept there, but I never lived."

"Oh...Yeah, you can live with me for a while. Will you need help lookin' for a job?"

"O-oh, I hadn't really thought about it, but...y-yes..."

"I can help with that, too."

The two ninja looked at each other, waiting for the other to back down from one of the plans that had just ben made. When neither did, Hinata flushed even more and turned her face to the sky. Naruto followed her gaze to the sun directly overhead. _Time passed that quickly? _

"We-...We should be getting back, Naruto-kun..."

"I guess,"

"Would you like to start the jutsu once we get back?"

"I guess,"

Hinata didn't move. Neither did Naruto. They just there beside each other, looking up at the sun like there was nothing else in the world they needed. And for the moment, there wasn't.

_She's going to be with me._

His fingers ached to touch the cool skin again, but he forbade them too.

_Always close enough to touch._

His hand shifted slowly towards hers, stopping just next to it, close enough that she'd notice its presence.

_Always there when I need someone to tell me things I don't know._

Knowing there was a slight chance he would be hated for this, Naruto moved his hand on top of hers.

_Always there for me to watch and keep._

Tan over pale.

_Always recognizing my presence._

For one moment, it seems like she hadn't noticed.

_Needing me to see herself for what she is._

Then her hand flipped over and her fingers twined with his.

_Always there when I need her to see me for what I am._

Her hand squeezed his slightly, and he squeezed gently in return.

_Everything will be okay, Hinata-chan..._

She turned her head to look at him, and he looked back, words unnecessary.

_Because I have you, and you have me._

Her pale eyes were easy to get lost in, there seemed no end to their depth.

_We have each other in that way, don't we?_

He blinked, and he could feel his neck stretching.

_And we always will, because I couldn't let you go._

Maybe he was hypnotized. Her eyes were growing larger and larger, and larger, and larger...

_And I guess you never want to leave._

He was submerged entirely in lavender, sweet and gentle.

_So we just have to always be together._

And then he kissed her.

_Because otherwise, it wouldn't make any sense._

Her eyes closed slowly, clear tears caught on her eyelashes, but the lavender was still imprinted in his mind.

_Because I think...I think I love you._

**Sorry. I had to get it out of my system...Anyway, I'm gloriously sick, and I have a shit-load of school projects due, so the next chapter will be maybe early to mid March. I'm finally going to give into my worst reasoning. PLEASE! REVIEW! I don't care if it's taciturn or criticism! Give me opinions! Any sense of self-esteem was just lost. **

**Signing off.**


	8. Spring

**Chapter 8 is here! I'm so sorry there was a huge gap between updates, but I finished my other fic! I'd say more, but the likeliness that you ignore this bit and go straight for the story is so high it's not worth it...**

**Disclaimer: Naruto. Not mine.**

Chapter 8: Early Spring

"Very good, Sasuke-kun. But you need to be more flexible. Don't think of the steps as separate, but rather a long chain. You're too mechanical." Hinata handed out her praise and corrections with a small smile and continued on to the blonde boy across the clearing. Even though they slept within inches of each other, whenever possible, Naruto and Sasuke put as much distance as they could between themselves. She quickened her pace, noticing the frustrated way Naruto was practicing hand seals. The male ninja looked over at Hinata, turned a strange shade of pink and forced the hand seals even more. It had been almost a week since they'd kissed, and the changes between the two were insignificant. Somehow, depressingly insignificant. Maybe Naruto was hoping she'd lose her shy nature, or maybe fulfill every thirteen-year-old boy's dream, but her reaction had been her usual one: blush. Stutter. Fall silent. Next topic, please.

"Um...Naruto-kun, I'm sure that I gave you the right hand seals...You're doing them perfectly...Why don't you try the jutsu?"

"Because,"

The pale Hyuuga bit her bottom lip, then let the phrase go.

"I'm sorry! It must have been my fault!"

She bowed quickly, watering eyes on her sandal-covered feet, before disappearing into the woods. Sasuke sighed, and let the molded chakra dissipate. It was pointless to try and learn something when his teacher had just been rejected by her crush. _Stupid girls...Her and Sakura..._He reached up and touched the almost-healed cuts near his left temple. _I took off that forehead protector. I never expected to have to cut off the replacement. _He rolled his shoulders, and walked over to Naruto, who was standing with that "Well, that was unexpected," stare on his face. The black-haired Uchiha stuck one of his hands in his pocket, and said, "Oy, Naruto..." There was no reply. So Sasuke reached up, mussed up his hair as best he could, and bent over a little. He sighed moodily, then slipped into a perfect impression of Kakashi-sensei.

"Yo! Naaaaruto-!"

Naruto laughed, and snapped out of his paralysis, only the have the temporary smile slide off of his face. He threw himself on the ground, and complained, "Geez! Why does she always think it's her fault?!"

"Dunno. Why do you care? And what the hell did you do?"

The blonde boy blushed and looked away, flustered. His edgy voice and the hand scratching the back of his head gave it away.

"Nothing!"

"Right. Girls just go off crying in woods because they feel like it."

"Well...yeah! No...We kissed."

"I figured."

Naruto turned his head to glare at the boy next to him. Since when was Sasuke Mr. Love himself?

"What makes you so sure, huh?"

"Maybe it's the fact that you two suddenly stopped talking in your sleep. Maybe it was the way she looks at you. Or maybe it was you, about six days ago, acting more idiotically than usual."

"Oh. Right."

The two ninja shot sparks at each other for a moment before they both looked away. Naruto grit his teeth, even more annoyed than usual. Sasuke-the-intolerable-bastard returning like nothing happened was enough to unsettle him. But adding on Hinata-chan, and the kiss, and the waterfall thing, and Hinata-chan, and the curse of being a failed Hyuuga, and Hinata-chan, and Hinata-chan..._Wait...I'd said that one before, right? Shit. _Sasuke pulled his knees to his chest, his arms resting uselessly on the top of his knees, and commented, "So tell her it wasn't her fault or whatever."

"Huh? Wha-? No! How do you know that will work?! It's not like you've been successful!"

"Naruto...You're talking to Uchiha Sasuke, remember?"

"Yeah, but there's a difference between fan-girls and...whatever you call it!"

"I know that."

"But...you don't get it!"

"I do."

And Sasuke did get it. In fact, he'd been wanting to fix his similar problem for ages now. But he had the sinking feeling he'd never get the chance. _I totally discarded her. And how am I supposed to tall her that it wasn't her fault? She wasn't why? Girls...are...complex! To damn complex!_ He glared over at the flabbergasted ninja he had come to enjoy, envy, and hate all at once. _Big freakin' idiot..._

"So? What are you going to do?"

"Uh...Nothing?"

"Okay. Naruto, think really hard about this..."

"Uuuh...Oh!"

The blonde boy took off into the forest about five minutes after Hinata had. He knew where she had gone, so it didn't take him long to spot her sitting in the elbow of a large tree branch, humming softly and swinging her legs back and forth like she wasn't holding back sobs. Hinata jumped a little when Naruto sat down next to her, then pretended like she didn't notice. But her red face was a dead give-away.

"Ne ne Hinata-chan, why'd you apologize?"

"B-Because I was the one who-...who...st-started the k-k-"

"You weren't,"

"Th-Then, I must have done s-something, or you wouldn't be so d-disgusted."

"Who said I was disgusted?"

"W-Well, you won't learn to do my j-jutsu, and-"

"And what? I kissed you, okay? And I'm...afraid..."

Hinata glanced from behind her bangs over at the boy next to her. His face was redder than hers. _Does he...? _Naruto grit his teeth, and tried to connect words to his feelings. He didn't know what the Hyuuga next to him was feeling or thinking, but he had to explain to her. For some reason, she deserved it. It must be preserving his honor after just taking what was most likely her first kiss. That _had_ to be it. Naruto turned to face Hinata, and said slowly, forcing out each word, "I'm just afraid. Since you're the heiress to an old Konoha clan, you must know my...well, my demons." He laughed awkwardly at his own pun for a moment, then sobered up and continued.

"But...the first time I ever had a real friend was a year ago. I just got my family, and then Sasuke had to go off...Anyway, suddenly I had Sakura-chan, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and begrudgingly, Sasuke. And after Sasuke left, for a short time, I had Ero-sannin. And from the very_ very_ beginning...you.

"And now that I know what it's like...to have your family ripped away from you...I can sort of understand why Sasuke left in the first place. But...Argh! Why am I not making sense?!"

Hinata reached out and touched his shoulder for a short moment.

"Naruto-kun, just keep going."

"Yeah...I know that you know what that's like. First, your mom dies, and then your sister and father are pulled away from you. And I'm just so afraid...Just so afraid that one day, everyone will just pick up and leave me. Like it was before.

"I don't like being forgotten, and...I mean, right now, my brain is screaming at me to kiss you again, but...Sorry 'bout that...But I don't want to ruin our friendship. I don't want to lose you! And it's so obvious that you don't want to lose _me_! And we're just-...invisible! To everyone! But we have each other...And...And I don't want that to change! But I kissed you! And now...it's just like I've done something that's made that change! And...And I _just don't know_!"

"N-Naruto-kun..."

"So-...So I'm sorry! You're too good of a friend to lose over something like a kiss! I mean, I don't even know how you feel about me, and-"

She cut him off by putting her lips onto his. Naruto blinked, and then flushed, not entirely sure how else to react. Hinata pulled back, and looked away, utterly horrified. She'd just kissed Naruto-kun, just after he'd been telling her how good of a friend she was! _Friend...friend...friend..._The word rang around inside of her head accusingly. Hinata covered her mouth with both of her hands, and fought the scalding tears finally really threatening to escape.

"S-S-S-S-Sorry, Naruto-kun! But-...But..."

She gathered her courage, not sure if he could actually discern what she was saying through both of her hands.

"B-But...I really-...really...l-lo-...like you. I'm s-so s-sorry!"

And she buried her head in her arms and sank into sobs. Even though she hadn't _actually_ said the word "love", the implication was clear. The genin next to her flushed even more, somehow finally putting the last year all together. The ointment at the Chunnin Exams, the waterfall, the training, the mysterious ointment and food left outside his apartment along with ramen deliveries...

"EH?"

In the branches above the two, Sasuke thwacked his forehead with his palm and thought angrily, _IDIOT! Just tell her you like her too already! Quickly, before you have to leave or knock her out or leave her lying on a bench...Shit. That's me. NARUTO! ANSWER HER ALREADY! _

Hinata knew what was going to come next. He was going to reject her, and a new barrier of awkwardness plus the total destruction of their friendship would remain. But the blonde boy shook his head furiously, as if shaking out thoughts, and said, slightly dazed, "That's kind of funny, because...Well...Um..."

_No way! Does he...No way! But...NO WAY!_

"I kinda really like you too..."

Naruto laughed even more nervously.

_Did he just say...?_

"Wh-What...?"

"I like you...um...too...?"

"B-But...Sakura-chan..."

"And?"

The dark-haired girl's eyes opened even more, her face exploding into an incomprehensible red. She leaned away slowly, a somehow flattering look of complete shock plastered across her features. Naruto just stared back, not exactly there, and said, "Ne ne Hinata-chan...If you look like that much longer, your face is going to stick that way." Sasuke restrained himself from jumping down to the two and killing Naruto. _Idiot! Big. Freakin'. IDIOT! _Naruto swallowed, and continued, "But I guess it doesn't matter, 'cause you'd still look cute."

That did it.

Hinata's eyelids drooped, and she fainted, almost falling off the tree branch before Naruto caught her.

And Sasuke came to a decision.

He had to face it: no matter how good he was a the moment, the chance him actually being able to find Nii-san was miniscule, let alone beat Nii-san after that. Besides, he couldn't let Naruto surpass him in anything. Anything at all. _My mind's been somewhere else since I left; not just on Itachi. I need to fix that first. That, and I need to get better. I'm going. And these two are coming with me. They have too. They were going to help anyway, so why not with this instead? _He withdrew, leaving Naruto gathering Hinata together to take her back to the house. Sasuke he to get there first, or else Naruto would suspect he [Sasuke had been watching him.

---------

Chikako crossed her arms as Sasuke landed on the grass, pretending to be angry. She strode over to the boy and said bracingly, "Well?" Sasuke glared at her, and gave a totally bogus excuse that _probably_ would cover all three genin up. Chikako spread her amazing acting talents into believing him, and stared a burning hole into the foliage from which Sasuke had come, waiting for Hinata and Naruto to emerge. When they did, she rolled her eyes at the prone Hinata curled up against Naruto's chest, and wearily turned back towards the house for smelling salts. _Just once, can't they go within three inches of each other without her fainting?_ She snatched the salts from their shelf and strode back out to the three genin. She broke the bar in half with extra pastiche and waved it under Hinata's nose. The girl's eyes fluttered, and she jerked into an upright position.

"Ch-Ch-Chikako-nee-san! I m-mean, Chikako-sesei! How'd-? And the-...I fainted again, didn't I?"

"Yep. Why?"

All three genin avoided her gaze, Sasuke clearing his throat, Naruto with his hand behind his head, and Hinata putting her index fingers together. Chikako decided she was better off not knowing, and admonished, "Okay, okay. Hinata-shan, are these two almost finished learning your jutsu?"

"S-Sasuke-kun is close, and N-Naruto-kun is..."

"I could do it if I wanted too."

"Fine then. Let's see it."

Naruto glared at Chikako for a moment, but stood up anyway. He ran to the farthest edge of the clearing, and closed his eyes, praying he got it right. He began forming the seals, mouthing the name, and drawing upon non-Kyuubi chakra. His eyes snapped open, pupils already somewhat contorted into slits by the use of almost all of his non-Kyuubi chakra, and the wing-like forms unfurled behind him. The shape was similar, but somehow more severe, like the wings of a hawk, opposing to Hinata's wings of a swallow. The wings expanded in the air for a few moments, spreading to their full width before Chikako clapped her hands, and Naruto released the last seal. He staggered a bit, not expecting so much chakra to have been drained by the jutsu, but righted himself and swaggered back over to Sasuke and Hinata. Completely ignoring everyone else, Naruto stopped in front of Hinata, and said, "Ne ne Hinata-chan, how was that?"

"It was fine. But I'd suggest practicing a bit more on your chakra control. Even though your control is great, once the control is applied to fine details, such as the tips of the "wings", your diligence drops."

"Huh?"

Sasuke made a sort of "hunph" noise, and commented dryly, "It's fine, Hinata...We all know Naruto is an idiot, no mater how good he gets..."

"Shut up, bastard!"

"Naruto, language..."

"You too, Harpy!"

Naruto's face quickly progresed from one of irritation to one of fear. Chikako just smiled and said in a too-happy tone, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that...Sasuke-kun; your turn." The Uchiha nodded wordlessly, and walked over to where Naruto had been. He closed his for a moment, then did the seals so quickly it seemed by natural reflex. The Sharingan ratcheted in, and he declared purposefully, "Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the bluish-green shapes burst from his back, a more sea-bird-like, smoother appearance to them. Perhaps the wings of a heron or something similar. Sasuke didn't even allow the wings to spread to their full width. Instead, he let the chakra go, and stood there at the other end of the field. Chikako looked to Hinata, who blushed, and said, "Very nice, Sasuke-kun, but...You're still so mechanical. Instead of fully letting the chakra flow, you're detouring it with either thoughts or feelings."

"Wow! Hinata-chan knows everything!"

"Nice job, Sasuke-kun. You can come back over now."

The blonde boy and the Hyuuga were preoccupied with each other, so Sasuke edged over next to the sandy-haired woman and said simply, "I've changed my mind. I have things to do back in Konoha." The koinichi didn't even give him the pleasure of looking surprised. The Uchiha glared up at her, and said, "Oy...You could at least _act_ like you thought I was going to do this without going back to Konoha first."

"My acting talents have been exhausted already today, Sasuke-kun...We'll leave tomorrow, after we explain it to Knuckle-head and Mrs. Knuckle-head over there."

"..."

**Okay. In order:**

**1) I apologize for waiting so long before updating...**

**2) In the last Chikako line, I am not saying Hinata is a knuckle-head. When a girl marries a guy, her official name changes to "Mrs. His first and Last name". So, if Naruto is knuckle-head, then Hinata would be Mrs. Knuckle-head...Sort of like Mrs. Naruto Uzumaki...**

**3) I am experiencing major writer's block. Expect update in...late April at earliest. Unless I have an epiphany and crank out over 2000 words in one sitting.**


	9. Dew

**The epiphany came...at 2:30 in the morning. Just to remind you, Naruto and Hinata are both 13...NejiTen chapter, some NaruHina stuff going on. If you don't like NejiTen, you can just grit your teeth and sort through the crap to find your precious NaruHina moments. Not my problem. Oh, if you skip this chapter, you're going to miss plot. Um, Chikako-sensei's full name is actually Harazuka Chikako, fyi.**

**Disclaimer[INSERT NARUTO DISCLAIMER**

Chapter 9: Fresh Dew

It took Chikako and Sasuke nearly five minutes to have Hinata conscious and Naruto serious simultaneously. And if that wasn't enough to deal with, they kept doing those little couple things. The weird glances, hand squeezes...It was sickening, straight to the bone. But it was kind of funny how much you hated it and envied it at the same time. Like Naruto himself. Couldn't stand the bastard, but you had to admit he was pretty awesome when he wanted to be. Or, rather, when he wasn't _trying_ to be awesome. Sasuke touched the healing scratches near hairline one last time, then said calmly, "Naruto, Hinata...It's time to go do this."

"What? None of us are even _near_ ready to go face-to-face with your bro-"

"We're not. I'm going back home."

Naruto shifted gears rather well for someone so clueless.

"Wait! Are you telling me that you're just going to go back to Orochimaru now?"

The Uchiha didn't answer, granting himself an eye-roll. _Does he honestly ever pick up on anything? _He turned to the sandy-haired woman with a curt nod, then disappeared back inside of the house to put things away. Truth be told, he was nervous. He was _that _guy. The one whose family had been slaughtered. That year's "number one rookie", or so people first thought. The one who left the village. Walking talent, waiting to take his place among the famous (or infamous) ninjas (or ex-ninjas) of Konoha. His hand reached up unconsciously to touch the cuts. Being _that _guy kind of sucked, now that he thought about it. But whatever. He was going back to Konoha. Like he had a choice.

Chikako finished her brief explanation, and observed the blonde genin nervously. Who knew what his reaction would be? The 13-year-old scratched his head, face screwed up in thought. Slowly, his face straightened out. _Oh crap. Here it comes..._

"That's...AWESOME!"

Hinata smiled. She knew he was going to say that. After all, Naruto did have that tendency. He could hate someone, but he'd still be happy when they returned to him. For someone who was so unpredictable, Naruto certainly did like consistency. He reacted to her shy smile, misunderstanding it as usual and blushing slightly, replying with an even wider grin. And for once, he actually meant it. Then Chikako-nee-san clapped both genin on the shoulder, chiding, "C'mon now, let's go pack up. It'll take us a full hour to get to Konoha, and I want to get there before the sun goes down. Huge tactical mistake, traveling in the dark."

"Yes, Chikako-sensei."

"Yeah yeah,"

The four started for Konoha about an hour later. The journey was silent: no one had anything to say, and no one wanted to hear anything anyone else had to say anyway. It was one of those awkward pauses between important moments. Finally, just as the sun was starting to stain the sky different colors, the red gate came into view. The four ninja slowed down, already anticipating the attack they might get. After all, one of them was a "village traitor". However, they made it to the gate unscathed. Chikako sighed. _What a nice change..._The guards looked up at their approaching foot-steps, bored faces telling of their tedious day. But all boredom and sleepiness drained out of their faces as the four ninja came to a halt in front of them. Chikako tapped her foot loudly, waiting for permission to enter the village. Finally, one of the guards opened his mouth, and managed, "Harazuka-san, how-"

"Oh. Koji-kun, is that you? Long time, no see, eh? Thanks for letting us through. Talk to you later, bye."

With a flick of her shoulder-length hair, Chikako and her three genin were gone. The guards gaped at each other, at a total lack for words. Then "Koji-kun" nodded, and disappeared. The Hokage-sama _had _to hear about this. Immediately. Tsunade took it pretty well. She only used two cuss-words instead of the usual twelve, then glanced back at Shizune. The dark-haired woman nodded, then ran out of the door, pig at her heals. If Sasuke Uchiha was back, she needed to find him before some misunderstanding low-life did. She skidded out into the street, and stopped at the Jounin Sensei's usual sweet shop. Kurenai, Kakashi, and Asuma looked up at, a dango halfway towards Kakashi's masked mouth. She gasped, "Sasuke-kun. Back. Need help. Finding.", then took off to search for Chikako-san and her new pupils. There was complete silence among the three jounin, then Kurenai said, "What?" Asuma puffed on his cigarette, unaware it had gone out. Kakashi just blinked, then all three left instantly. Without paying the bill. It was Kakashi's turn to pay for it anyway: had he even _planned_ to pay it in the first place?

Actually, it was Kurenai-sensei who found them first. She dropped down from the roof-tops in front of the four, and said rather casually for someone who had just been in a panic, "Chikako...You've got three pupils. Didn't you leave here with two?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. Sasuke-kun here found us and decided to come home."

"So glad. Sasuke-kun, the Hokage needs to see you. And Kakashi as well. For God's sake, Chikako, what were you thinking, just tramping straight in here?"

She glanced at her own student, Hinata. She and Naruto were holding hands. Kurenai-sensei grinned on the inside, happy for her shy pupil, then sent a small jet of flame up into the air to signal the other two that she'd found them. Kakashi and Asuma immediately materialized on either side of her, disbelief and concentration reflected in their posture. Sasuke hardened slightly at the appearance of his old sensei, then stepped forward. He stated, "Take me." 

The three jounin nodded, and the four of them took off in the general direction of the Hokage's grounds. Chikako turned back to her remaining students, and said brightly, "Well, that went better than I thought it would. You two: scram. Hinata-chan, I'll come see you later so that we can catch up. The Hyuuga compound, right?" The pale girl shook her head slightly, and murmured, face turning an indescribable shade of red, "N-No. I'll be at N-Naruto-kun's. Go to the Hyuuga compound, go right until the intersection, turn left, left again next intersection, go straight until you reach "Konoha's Best Fish Market", turn left again, left again, turn right, then stop at the building right after the blue one. That should be Naruto-kun's ap-apartment." 

"Oh. Okay."

_Holy shit! Kurenai-senpai was freakin' right!_

The koinichi smiled (contrary to her panicking thoughts) and waved, turning to head towards the Hokage grounds to file her report of the training/mission. Sure, they'd only been gone about a month, but there still were a lot of things to report. Starting with the Hyuuga problems, then Hinata's jutsu, and ending with the Uchiha problems. Maybe she'd mention the training itself. If she remembered. 

-----

Naruto opened the door, suddenly cognizant of the unique "boy" stench his apartment had, and bowed Hinata-chan in. She blushed at his chivalry, unaware it was mostly Naruto being silly, and swept her eyes over the room, and the small bathroom attached. It was a good size for one person, but she couldn't see where she was going to sleep. Naruto-kun answered her question purely by coincidence.

"Ne ne, Hinata-chan. If you're worrying about where you're going to sleep, I'm going to go find another futon. If you need to go to your hou-...uh, the Hyuuga compound, wait until I get back, 'kay?"

"O-Okay..."

The blonde-haired boy grinned at her, then exited the apartment again, wondering where the hell he was going to find another futon set. The door clicked shut, then Hinata finally gently laid her bag against the wall near the door. She didn't want to disturb anything at all, especially if it was something Naruto-kun was particular about. Her lavender eyes trailed over the apartment again, not surprised by the slight disorder. Everything was clean in a loose form of the word, excluding the trash, which had empty instant ramen cups spilling from its top. She couldn't help it: she laughed softly, then walked further into the room to peek into the bathroom. Hinata jumped at the sight of it, then cautiously put the toilet seat down. _I'm in above my head. He keeps everything so clean, and then the bathroom...isn't! _She shook away the thought, then left the bathroom quickly. Quietly, Hinata reminded herself that the bathroom was the first thing on her list to clean sometime. 

The girl hummed, walking around the room in circles because she didn't know what else to do. It was an alien world, and an embarrassing one at that. Her brain shifted into different Hyuuga's reaction to their "heiress" disappearing. 

_Neji-nii-san's face when he discovers I am staying here...worry, anger, then nothing as he wipes it off of his face. _He would probably be the first Hyuuga she would speak to. And he could help her with training, if he didn't hate her for this. 

_Hanabi's face when she discovers I am at Naruto-kun's apartment..._Nothing came up. Hinata had lost so much of her sister that she didn't know if Hanabi would react as a Hyuuga, or as her [Hinata's little sister. Hinata pushed the thought away. It was a different thorn for a different time. She still had a few more faces left. 

_Father's face..._She didn't even allow herself to finish the thought. She knew what his reaction would be, and she didn't want to think about it. _Move on, Hinata. Move along. _

_Kiba-kun's and Shino's faces when they discover I'm staying with Naruto-kun...Kiba-kun will grin for me, then quickly change the subject. _Kiba never was too comfortable about Hinata's feelings. He saw her as a sister and friend, but when she pulled out the feminine personal things like her crush on Naruto, well..._Shino will smile as well, but just slightly. I won't be able to tell, but he'll let me know somehow._

_Sakura-chan and Ino-chan...they'll blush and giggle. But I don't think Naruto-kun and I will-_Hinata actually blushed, mind filling with her little knowledge of the subject that she didn't ever think about, then quickly shut Sakura-chan and Ino-chan down. 

_Tenten when she finds out from Neji-nii-san...I hope she'll laugh and say she wishes that I'd done that a long time ago. Then she'll reach over and hug Neji-nii-san and channel his inner thoughts out into the open..._Hinata didn't really know what those feelings would be, but she hoped Tenten would find some time in her strict training schedule (most of which was helping out Neji) to help Hinata with weapons and scrolls. 

Hinata sighed: that was all of the people she could think of, although she was sure she could think up some others if she really wanted to. Carefully, she sat down in the single chair next to the table, sitting stiffly, afraid to let her guard down. Finally, she let her head fall back, and she closed her eyes, trying to think. How was she going to do this? Naruto-kun inside of her head, encouraging loudly, _You can do this, Hinata-chan! It's just another mission, right? Rebuild your entire life from block one, all by yourself! I've done it, so you can do it too! _Her eyes closed a little, trying to avoid the fresh tears trapped there. _You're comfortable here, Hinata-chan! I mean, maybe not right now, but I'm sure you'll feel better real soon! Maybe after I clean a little bit...Does the smell bother you? _She answered immediately, saying out loud, "No! Of course not, Naruto-kun!"

"What? You don't need anything from the Hyuuga compound?"

"Huh? Kyah! N-N-N-Naruto-kun!"

The boy, halfway in the motion of removing the orange jacket of his jump-suit, grinned at the girl, and joked, "There, there, Hinata-chan, you can come off of the ceiling now." Hinata blushed, still not understanding that he was kidding, and replied, "B-But...I'm not on the ceiling..." The blonde genin laughed freely, and hung up his jacket on a hook next to the door. Naruto motioned to the rolled-up futon set by the door, and said cheerfully, "I found a futon set! Shikamaru said that he'd lend it out for a while, since he had an extra one." The Hyuuga blushed even more, and then nodded. She'd have to thank Shikamaru-kun somehow later. 

Naruto ambled off to a closet, unearthing a second chair from somewhere in the junk. His face lit up in victory, and he carried the chair over to the table. He set it down on the side opposite to Hinata with a loud _thunk_. He collapsed into it, then pulled himself up upon remembering he was in Hinata-chan's company, of all things. But he couldn't help it: she calmed him down. The pale girl across the table from him tilted her head to the side slightly, black hair catching the last sun and changing into a deep blue. Naruto coughed to distract himself, and repeated, "So, what do you need form the Hyuuga compound?"

"N-Nothing much. Just some clothes a-and some other things..."

Her hands tightened together on the table, then slid into her lap, her face following their process. _Great. She's been cryin' again. Did I do somethin', or...Shit Naruto, you need to go with her to get her stuff! Don't just sit there like an idiot! _Naruto stood up, and said, "Well then, we better go get those things, right? C'mon, before the sun goes down completely! We can even go to Ichikamaru's after this! Ramen!" 

He thrust his fist into the air, trying to pump energy into Hinata. She nodded again, and wiped her eyes before standing up and quietly starting for the door. _Here it comes, Hinata-chan. But you've moved along already, right? You're ahead, you're better, you're worth it..._She answered her Mind-Naruto out loud again, murmuring, "Of course, Naruto-kun..." The blonde didn't say anything this time, knowing that he was about to march with her into Hinata-chan's personal hell. He held the door for her again on the way out, flicking off the lights before locking the door. Then they were off into the darkening village of Konoha.

------

"Sasuke-kun...Why did you come back?"

"..."

"Sasuke-kun, we can't let you stay in Konoha peacefully unless you can tell us why you returned."

"..."

"Sasuke-kun, dammit! What the hell are you doing here!"

The Uchiha let go a confused stream of half-finished thoughts.

"...All I said was 'Thank You'...I didn't have time...And..."

Tsunade blinked at the onslaught of random phrases.

"Sasuke-kun, what-"

Kakashi understood immediately, and cut in before Tsunade killed Sasuke out of frustration.

"Tsunade-sama, I know what he's talking about."

"Eh? What is it, Kakashi?"

"Sasuke-kun's business. He will be no threat to Konoha. Not right now."

_Not a threat at all...Just a poor bastard in love..._

"Well? Can the Hokage be let in on the secret? I mean, after all, I do run this village and all."

_Great. Now she's annoyed._

"Trust me, Tsunade-sama; it isn't anything dangerous, unless Sasuke-kun here is early."

Sasuke colored, and finally spoke words that made remote sense.

"Bastard. Shut up..."

"He speaks! Well, what can I do to help?"

"Send for Sakura-chan, please. Tell her you'll meet her outside that sweet shop over there."

"What? But-"

"And don't come."

"WHAT?"

"Tsunade-sama, Sasuke-kun will be there..."

"Oh. _Oh_...Fine...Shizune!"

------

Neji was obviously not pleased. First, his younger cousin comes running up to him the middle of training to tell him that Hinata-sama was alone with a boy in a forest. Alone with a _Naruto Uzumaki_ in a forest. And then he had to let her go off and tell this obviously faulty information to Hiashi-sama. Hinata's father wasn't just displeased: he was pissed. Sure, Hinata was useless, but she did hang in the balance of the family's reputation...The rumors! Neji almost mocked his uncle, granting the entire situation one of his rare eye-rolls. Second of all, Chikako-nee-san had just informed him that Hinata-sama was staying with Uzumaki Naruto, of all people. He closed his eyes and resisted the urge to massage his head. _This isn't going to be easy...Who first? Not Hiashi-sama...Not Hanabi...Not Lee...God forbid...That leaves Tenten. _

He gathered the still unreturned weapons together, organized them carefully in his pack, then went off for Tenten. He knew where she would be; after all, Tenten breathed and ate training. There she was, practicing balanced throwing techniques, so focused she didn't even notice he was there until she directed a kunai directly at him. Instead of a normal reaction to accidentally throwing a weapon at your friend, Tenten grinned and dropped to the ground form her perch in the tree, knowing that Neji would either dodge, catch, or deflect the knife.

"Neji! What brings you to my lair?"

"These are yours...Over the last mission, you and I had to use each other's weapons, and I still have most of yours..."

The brown-haired girl took the pack from Neji's hand and sifted through it quickly, cataloging everything inside. She knew every single one by sight. It was kind of creepy, except you got used to it. Tenten nodded, collecting a stray chunk of hair and coiling it back into one of the buns, and pried, "What else, Neji?"

"Hinata..."

He didn't have to say anything else. Tenten nodded, dropping her precious weapons unceremoniously by a tree, and said, "Over here. I've got a kettle and tea." She gestured towards her permanent camping area, which had been put up for years ago and never taken down. It was like a second home, when she had practiced herself into fatigue so deep she could not find her way home. Neji nodded, and picked up the weapons again, following her to the fire and sleeping bag. This was Tenten's training field. No one else had dared to practice anywhere near her, so everything was left untouched. Just Neji and Lee knew about it, really. When they younger, they used to sleep out here on good nights, their eyes among the stars. But things change.

"So, what happened? Did Hinata-chan finally crack or something?"

"No. She moved in with Naruto."

Tenten froze over the boiling water, then grinned.

" 'Moved in' in what way?"

"I have no idea. That's part of it."

Tenten sat back on her heels, and poured the tea steadily.

"Do you think they're...you know?"

"I don't think Hinata-sama would even think of something like that."

She glanced over at the pale teenage to her right. Something like concern was all over his face, but it was shrouded by this blank-ness that gave his the quality of some sort of statue. She restrained laughter at his confusion to his own feelings, and set her tea down. Tenten turned to face Neji, and said seriously, a humorous light in her brown eyes, "so? What are you going to do? Go in, guns blazing?"

"No, I think Hiashi-sama will do hat for me."

"What?"

"If Hiashi-sama ever found out that Hinata-sama was living with a boy, let along Uzumaki Naruto, he'd go ballistic."

"R-Really...Man, I'd hate to be Hinata-chan's fiance, when or if she gets one..."

"Yeah. That would be my other problem."

"Hmm..."

She thought for a moment, then studied Neji again. He seemed to be waiting for something from her; a final opinion or some sort of decision from her? Oh, well. Tenten tried her best. She hugged him, one of her strange smiles on her face, and squealed, "Aren't you proud of her?" The Hyuuga reacted by jumping slightly. It wasn't like Tenten to act girly. Neji adjusted well, sighing, but not removing her from him.

"Why should I be proud of her? She's about to disgrace our clan."

Tenten let her head drop on his thin chest: somehow, she really liked hugging him.

"Neji...Can't you see? She's just ejected herself from the clan, without the Bird Cage! She's free!"

He stiffened again, hormones finally realizing this was a freakin' _gir_l hugging him, and that she _still_ hadn't let go. Whether it was Tenten or not: he blushed slightly, totally forgetting their conversation.

"...Neji? You there?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh...I'm just worried about what Hiashi-sama will do to her when he finds out."

He returned to his usual rigid etiquette with a stumble, making Tenten hug him tighter and laugh out loud. She knew exactly what was going through his mind among all things: after all, she had known him ever since they were six. Neji seemed to understand that she knew, but didn't disengage, so slipping her arms more towards his waist so he could reach past her for his tea. _That's how Neji reacts: drink your tea, Neji..._Tenten moved her arms back up before the Hyuuga got any implication to carry out his thoughts, and turned her head slightly so they were practically touching noses.

"Hinata-chan will be so glad to hear that we are happy for her."

Neji choked on his tea, and finally made the brown-haired girl go away: her browns eyes looming in front of his eyes were making him go cross-eyed.

"P-Pardon!"

"We're both happy for her, right? I know I am, and I know you are. That constitutes as a 'we', correct?"

"I believe so, but-"

"Great! Then it's agreed!"

"What?"

"We're going to hide this from Hiashi Hyuuga as long as possible so that the poor girl can at least get to know Naruto!"

"What?"

It wasn't very often Neji stretched out his words: he usually said them as precisely as he could, the more efficient and specific the word, the better. None of this strange vowel-stretching nonsense. He winced at his own violation of his silent rules. Then the brown eyes returned, making his brain go oddly blank.

"Let's keep it a secret! Obviously, Sakura will find out in some way or the other...But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She rubbed her hands together, a devious smile on her lips.

"Oh, the fun we're going to have with this..."

Neji tried to mimic the smile, his mouth tugging into strange directions before he gave up. Tenten's eyes captured his again, and she prompted, "You do give them permission, right?" The pale boy tensed, then nodded slowly. It was Hinata-sama's choice in the end, anyway. What could he do to stop her, besides killing her? And that made the entire thing pointless. the girl next to him nodded her approval, and turned towards a patch of dirt with a kunai. She wrote out the reason of the mission, then looked up at the sky, and mused, "I should get Shikamaru on this...I'm shit at making strategies." She stood up, brushing off her green capris, then strode off, knowing Neji would catch up with her. He did, and stopped her in her tracks by pulling on her arm. She turned to him briskly, already thinking out how to deceive a man who could see through walls. Literally.

"What? Did I leave the kettle on the fire or something? Or did you change your mind, and want to sabotage those two instead."

He didn't say anything, pupil-less eyes in a conflict. She frowned.

"You honestly don't want me to go and ruin Hinata-chan's first lo-"

He leaned forward, kissing her quickly and lightly, probably because he had no clue what he was doing.

"...I'm somewhat preoccupied with my first love."

"Oh. And...Shikamaru?"

"He won't move. Shikamaru never does anything unnecessary. Like moving, for instance."

"I'm out of excuses."

Neji turned pink slightly, then disappeared, his first embarrassed farewell ever lingering behind him.

"Like that wasn't a mixed message."

**Sorry. I had to write that, however weird it is. It's the first time I've ever written Tenten and Neji, so be nice, okay? I can take flames though, if I deserve it. Ch 10 will be out in a month or less. It will be Hinata and Naruto going to get Hinata's things form the Hyuuga compound (wheeee), and Saukra seeing Sasuke the first time since he knocked her out. Oh, this is going to be fun D Spring Break looms in the distance...**

**Signing Off.**


	10. Leaves

**Chapter 10...NaruHina, SasuSaku. Deal.**

**Disclaimer: I.N.D.H.**

Chapter 10: Konoha Leaves

Naruto and Hinata opened the back door to the Hyuuga compound, and silently ventured inside. Hinata's sandal sent some rocks clattering, and Naruto cursed softly. It wasn't even dark outside yet, but the compound was still, except for the occasional low voice. The pale girl stood up from the feral crouch she had been in, and motioned for Naruto to follow her down the open hallway. She unconsciously held her breath, hoping that Neji-nii-san didn't pull another silent appearance on her. She bumped into something that jerked back from the impact. Hinata didn't even look up to see who it was: she had the most rotten luck.

"Hinata-sama. Naruto-kun..."

"N-Neji-nii-san. I guess you've n-noticed by now..."

"Indeed. Hiashi-sama almost gave birth to kittens when Hanabi told him."

"F-Father knows?"

She searched in those silvery eyes for something, anything to lead on. It was a technique she had forced herself to learn after her defeat in the Chunnin Exams by the very person in front of her. But she saw nothing in Neji's eyes, just blank pale color only few could discern from her own. The two Hyuugas stared at each other wordlessly for a full minute, the entire argument carried out in complete silence. Finally, Neji stepped aside, and stated, "I'll teach you what I know from Hiashi-sama. You've grown Hinata, just not enough yet." The pale girl blushed at the way he suddenly dropped the "-sama" that usually he tacked onto the end of her name, then nodded gratefully. Neji reached deep within himself, drew out his feelings, and touched her briefly on the shoulder.

"I wish you well, Hinata."

"Y-Yes, Neji-nii-san, and I to you."

The brown-haired boy looked over Hinata's shoulder, eyes narrowing slightly at Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, I assume you mean the best of intentions, correct?"

Naruto knew what Neji was saying, and nodded, afraid of what the Hyuugas would do to him if he didn't. Taking advantage of the Hyuuga heiress was signing your death wish. Satisfied to the extent that he could be, Neji leaned against the wall, and motioned for them to continue. Before they rounded the corner into Hinata's room, Naruto heard Neji say to himself, "They were never here..." He looked back again, surprised, but Hinata pulled him into the room and shut the door. She turned to him and whispered fiercely, "If Father realizes that I am here, we will be..." She paused, not sure how to describe what would happen, and decided to let the sentence drop away. Let Naruto-kun think of it as he would. As a matter of fact, Naruto _did_ think about it. _Oh, shit. I know that this was going to be tough, but she sounds like this is almost an S-rank mission! Hinata-chan only acts like this when she's focused...And scared. Truly scared._ He studied the back of her head as the Hyuuga moved silently around her room, picking up this and carefully moving aside that. That was when he noticed the flash of bright pink at the nape of her neck, poking out from underneath the Konoha forehead protector tied around her neck. Curious, he walked towards her, and asked in a subdued voice, "Hinata-chan? What's that around your neck?"

Hinata didn't even blink before answering; she didn't have the time too.

"My Konoha forehead protector. Why, Naruto?"

She could hear the blonde genin scratch his head at her subterfuge, but he spoke again.

"Nah, what's behind it? The pink thing."

Her hand scrambled to cover up the bit of pink silk, and she whirled about to face Naruto. A blush spread along her cheeks, and Hinata mumbled, "N-N-Nothing, Naruto-kun...I'll tell you later, j-j-just help me get my things..." The boy nodded, and started folding clothes and carefully stowing them in Hinata's now empty knapsack. He blushed slightly as the girl handed him some tank tops, then hastily folded them and practically threw them into the bag. Hinata glanced over at him for making the noise, unaware of what she had done. She noticed how red his face was, and quickly turned back to the dresser drawers. Let Naruto-kun think of it as he would. She was ready to go, and started to shut the drawer when something smooth met her fingers. Hinata paused, then carefully extracted the kimono from the drawer, unsure what to do with it. She hesitated, then turned and handed the kimono carefully to Naruto, looking the other way as she did. He took it gently, copying her treatment of the item, and tucked it into the knapsack. He straightened back up, startled by Hinata's face. The face he had never wanted to see on her again.

"Hinata-chan..."

"I'm fine. Naruto-kun, we need to go before father comes in to make sure I'm in bed."

"Fine."

He picked up the knapsack for her, shouldering it silently and following her out of the door. All of a sudden, Neji was upon them. He said urgently, his tone clipped, "Hiashi-sama is coming this way! Go!" Hinata blanched slightly, and grabbed Naruto's hand, slipping into a room that was used for storage. He stumbled backwards into the dark room, immediately followed by Hinata, who was able to catch herself. Years of training had given her that privilege. It was a relief, actually, because if she had fallen into Naruto-kun then they would have made a very loud-

She tripped over a rolled-up dusty futon, and crashed into the blonde genin sharing the room with her.

Hinata sprang away as quickly as she could, not knowing Naruto-kun's reaction: it was dark in the storage room. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and demurred, pressing index fingers together out of nervous habit. For a terrible moment, there was no reply to the stumble, Naruto uncharacteristically silent. She started to shrink back, afraid of what the boy might do. She'd heard things from Sakura-chan and Ino-chan, things Hinata would have rather not heard. _Hinata Hyuuga! You quit it THIS MOMENT! He's just...oh, God, I have no clue...! _Naruto, in fact, was still trying to recover from sudden full-body contact with the Hyuuga. It hadn't been on purpose, but no thirteen-year-old boy could ignore something like that. _I just can't get over what she's been covering up with the jacket and all of those layers...Uzumaki Naruto, you idiot! But...her...NO! THOUGHTS. OFF. OF. HINATA-CHAN'S. Uh...allocations? FUCK! WHY USE THE EUPHEMISM, NARUTO!? YOU'RE IN YOUR OWN BLOODY HEAD! _If someone walked in and shone a light on the two faces, it might have been funny. But no one opened the door, curious after the strange noise that had come from it. Hinata let her breath go, and said softly, "Naruto-kun, I think we can leave the closet now." Receiving some sort of agreeing grunt from Naruto-kun's general direction, the pale girl opened the paper door a crack and peeked out at the quickly darkening courtyard. She cursed in her head; her father would get to her room soon. They needed to get back to Naruto-kun's apartment before he realized she was gone.

"We need to hurry Naruto-kun. This way, please."

She dragged Naruto from the storage room, catching the end of Neji's hair whipping around the other corner, obviously following her father to her room. She bit her lip, whispered a silent "Thank you," to him, and took off in the opposite direction, heading towards the rear entrance to the Hyuuga compound. Fortunately, the two reached the gate without any trouble, only to be stopped by a small figure in front of the gates. Her thin arms crossed stubbornly, like a toddler about go into a fit, Hanabi glared her trained angry glare at the two thirteen-year-olds in front of her. Hinata stepped forward, and pleaded in a hushed voice, "Hanabi, please-"

"No. You aren't leaving."

The two siblings scrutinized each other impassively for a minute, lavender flashing against pink.

"Hanabi, I can't stay much-"

"No. You can't leave."

Hanabi was glad that it was finally dark; Nee-chan couldn't see the tears running down her cheeks in the gloom.

"Hanabi, let me pass!"

"No! No-no-no-no-no-no-_no_! You_ can't leave_!"

The eight-year-old Hyuuga's voice broke under the tears' pressure, and she stamped her foot, frustrated. A good Hyuuga had no feelings in battle. No regret. No mercy. It's a weakness. Hinata shrank back at the crack of Hanabi's sandal hitting the stone, but timidly reached out towards the shaking younger girl. She murmured, "Hanabi..." Hanabi winced at her name, more tears spilling out against her will. How could this failure have pity for her? How!? _How_!? She sniffled, then continued unevenly, for first time sounding like the kid she was, "Y-You _can't leave_! Momma left you 'cause of me, an' I know that it hurt you! An'...An' I'm real sorry 'bout it, Nee-chan! But you wouldn't do it to me, right? You know what it's like, and you wouldn't do that to me, right? Right?" The slight girl fidgeted nervously, slouching out of her fighting stance. "'Cause...'Cause I need you here, Nee-chan! _I need you here_! So you just can't leave! _You can't!_" And even then, a trained Hyuuga couldn't hold it back. Hanabi crumpled to the ground, landing on her knees, feet spread apart. She sank her face into her hands, balling up her fists furiously, throwing away the kunai she had.

Hinata crouched down next to her, and wrapped her arms around her Hanabi, rocking back and forth slightly. This only made the younger Hyuuga cry harder, remembering what she had been forced to forget and missing it although it was not yet gone. Hinata kissed her on top of her head, pulling her even closer, and glanced over the small girl's head at Naruto. His cerulean eyes flickered between her and the gate behind her. Cerulean and lavender came to a silent agreement. They didn't have time. The dark-haired girl stood up, bringing her sibling to her feet with her. She whispered, "Hanabi, would you like to come with us? Just for the night? I can have Neji-nii-san come and get you tomorrow, and I can walk with you home from school to the compound every day, okay? But right now we need to go, very badly. Would you like to come?" Hanabi nodded, muffled sobs still making her shoulders spasm.

"Alright. Follow us, and try to keep up, okay?"

"...'Kay."

The three flew into the night, connected together like a chain of paper dolls; by their hands. There was silence at the Hyuuga compound as Hiashi finally opened his eldest daughter's room. Cruel white eyes widened and scanned the room, which was bare except for the stripped futon. No thief could have managed that without some Hyuuga noticing. He tensed up, hands gripping into fists. He seethed, "You are a Hyuuga, dammit!" And swept from the room. He called back to his nephew.

"FIND HER! BRING HER TO ME!"

Neji waited for the man to round the corner before answering softly, "No sir,"

_Neji-nii-san! Chikako-nee-san said that we could pick out a balloon!_

"Never."

--

Sakura paced angrily in front of the sweet shop. Master had dragged her out of bed via Shizune, and told her to meet her at a sweet shop of all places. Just because she wanted to show her something important. The pink-haired koinichi forced back another wave of annoyance. The old hag was at least fifteen minutes late! If she were able to, Sakura would have planned to punch Tsunade whenever she chose to show. But punching the Hokage isn't a smart idea. Especially a Hokage with a short temper. She sighed, and let the anger sort of drain out of her. She started to spin on the spot, purely out of boredom. Nothing she could do about it except get the closest she could do to getting drunk: getting dizzy.

As the girl started to turn slowly, Sasuke drew farther back into the shadows, glaring at the watch Kakashi had lent him. He'd been standing here for the last fifteen minutes, just watching her. She hadn't changed at all. It was almost like he'd never left in the first place. But as her rotation brought her face into his view for the first time, he realized something was different. Her eyes were dead. There wasn't even a glimmer of light within the green.

Nothing.

He must have done that.

He touched the cuts on his forehead again; it was beginning to turn into some sort of charm. _Here goes..._Her back was to him, but Sasuke didn't mind. It would be easier this way, or so he guessed. The dark-haired ninja stepped from the dark alley and walked up to the pink-haired girl. He put one hand in his pocket, hoping that he hadn't changed since she'd last saw him. Maybe she was in love with someone else by now, her--he scoffed--"diligent" love veered away from him. He pondered on disappearing back into the alley and never coming back. _I've done it once. Never again. _He swallowed, then said, "Hey Sakura," The girl froze, back to the voice. A shiver went up her spine, then back down again. No way. She turned her head slightly, and caught a bit of pale arm starting at a cuff of black, and flowing into more black.

No fucking way.

"...S-...Sasuke-kun...?"

Her body began to turn as well, starting with her sandaled feet, head twisted back as far as it would go. The black and pale skin became a shoulder and hip. The shoulder and hip quickly became joined by a chest and waist. And then...there he was. Sasuke-kun.

Sasuke-kun.

Sakura's hands fell to her sides with her arms, useless. What the hell was Sasuke Uchiha doing here, of all places? Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She tried again. Nothing. Sakura felt her cheeks warm in the night chill, and blushed at her blush. That, of course, did nothing to improve the fore-mentioned blush. That smile,_ goddamn_ that smile, quirked at his lips, and he replied, "Yes?"

There was stunned silence.

Then...

"WHAT THE FUCK!? SASUKE UCHIHA! SERIOUSLY! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

He didn't reply, staying mysteriously silent. _Mother-fucking God! Stupid, stupid, stupid Sasuke-kun!_

"AND WHAT WAS WITH THE 'THANK YOU'!? WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!? I FUCKING LOVED YOU, AND YOU DIDN'T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT ME TO EVEN BOTHER REJECTING ME!?"

No answer, but something was constricting in his black eyes. Sakura could tell he was waiting for her to peak.

"AND LEAVING ME ON SOME GODDAMN BENCH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! I MEAN, HOLY SHIT! SOMEONE COULD'VE HARASSED ME OR SOMETHING! AND DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU DID!? DO YOU!?"

"I fucked everything up. I get it."

"Uh huh. Well, YOU'RE BLOODY WELCOME FOR WHATEVER IT WAS, JACK-ASS!"

She grit her teeth, and burst into angry tears. This was _so_ not on her plan for that night. Sasuke hesitated, then hugged her, arms and all. For a moment, he thought she'd gotten it all out of her, but she pulled away and slapped him. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screeched, making some curious people stick their heads out of the sweet shop. Sasuke winced at their glares: this was turning into public entertainment. He made some sort of amused noise, along the lines of "heh", then pulled her close again, this time tighter so that even Haruno Sakura would not be able to free herself.

"Hm, where to start. Thank you for caring about me, Sakura, not my talent or my appearance. Thank you for trying to fix it. Thank you for accepting it. Thank you for trying to talk sense into me. Most of all, thank you for slapping me. That will really hurt tomorrow, probably."

From behind his ear, over his shoulder, he heard her scoff, and a pale hand laced with healing chakra reached up and pressed against the burning cheek. It was soothed almost instantly, and the hand retread. She asked, anger still dripping form her voice, "And the bench? And the coming back?"

"The bench was an undesirable variable, a result. Not planned, a fluke. And the coming back...also a fluke. I didn't think leaving through enough, so I'm back."

"Sasuke-kun, that's stupid. It took you six months for you just to figure that out?"

"Three months to figure it out, three months to get out."

"Oh."

"And assuming your next inquiry would be what I didn't think about, here's the answer."

He loosened his grip on her a little, and bent down to kiss her. Green blinked at black, black stared through green. And it just sort of never ended.

No fucking way in hell.

They parted, and Sakura came out of her daze. She let her head drop to his shoulder, arms winding out from under his to let her hands rest on his shoulder blades. She finally mentioned, "Actually, my last question was going to be why a sweet shop, of all places, Uchiha. You hate these places. But I'm okay with the other question." The boy raised his head from the top of hers and rolled his eyes. Even when he loved her, she was_ still _annoying. He replied tersely, "Hn..."

"Shut up, I know what you were thinking."

He sighed.

"...Hn..."

**Relax...The SasuSaku arc is done...We'll hear form them again, perhaps. Next chapter will be longer, I promise. It's more NaruHina from now on, so stick with me here. The purple button is calling for you**


	11. Ruins

**I think I might have carpal tunnel after this...**

**Disclaimer: /begin disclaimer Naruto not mine. end disclaimer/**

Chapter 11: Crumbling Ruins

Hinata snuggled closer to Hanabi and tried not to sigh at her own stubborn misfortune. This was probably the last time she would sleep with her little sister for a long time, but her pale eyes refused her pleas for them to close. A light snore came from the futon next to her, making the Hyuuga jump. _Naruto-kun snores!? _An image of the blonde boy came to her, his head thrown back and mouth wide open, an atrocity even for snores coming from his mouth. A fit of laughter crashed down upon her, making Hinata curl together to hide it. Even in his sleep, Naruto-kun could make her feel better. She glanced down at the frail-looking girl behind her, whose arms were wrapped around her Hinata's waist. Hanabi wasn't easy to live around, but Hinata figured she wasn't either. The smaller girl tightened her embrace slightly, still dreaming. A smile never seen in real life spread upon Hanabi's lips. Hinata returned the smile sadly, twisting somewhat in order to move some of her sibling's hair away her sibling's mouth. She was going to miss Hanabi much worse than she thought she would. At her touch, Hanabi buried her face into Hinata's middle back, and murmured yearningly, "Momma..." Hinata quickly moved her fingers away, guilty. Even though she was her sister's mother figure, she could not bear to watch her last hold with the Hyuugas become consumed by Hiashi Hyuuga's will. _I'm still going to live with Naruto-kun. I'm such a coward; I failed Hanabi and...I can't seem to look her in the eye and tell her so. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..._It was going to break Hanabi's heart, but..._There it is again. There's no "but". _The sigh came without her permission. This was going to be so much harder than she predicted. A voice penetrated the thick night hush.

"Hinata-chan...?"

She opened her mouth, about to answer his call, before realizing Naruto-kun was probably dreaming. The dark-haired girl pulled her little sister even closer, waiting to see if the spoken dream would continue. Finally, the blonde boy near her whispered fiercely, "Don't go that way! There's--HINATA!" The last word was yelled into the dark. Naruto's cerulean eyes sprang open from his own outcry, and hurriedly twisted his head to his right, relaxing once he saw the Hyuugas there. The genin scratched his arm, and squirmed underneath the blanket, trying to find a good spot to fall back asleep in. The futon offered no relief. He exhaled; he had to get himself a new bed soon, especially since he'd (finally) grown too long for it. There was something to be said about the thirteen years it taken him. He grimaced at the window. God, he hated being short. Naruto shifted once more, and finally decided that it was too warm in his bed. He sat up among the tangled sheets, and swung his legs over the edge. He rubbed his eyes a little with the heel of his hand, and stood up. Naruto tested his balance by remaining upright, and discovered that he could not. He fell back onto the bed, and muttered a curse in response. Hinata tensed, but immediately relaxed: she had to look like she was sleeping. Naruto stood again and staggered over towards the Hyuuga. She closed her eyes, begging for her heart's marathon to end, listening as the dull sounds of bare feet hitting the floor came closer. The sounds stopped in front of her. Hinata didn't know what he was going to do. She risked a peek at his feet, but scrunched her pale eyes closed as he sank into a squat, arms resting on his bent knees. One of the hands reached out and caressed the side of her face, carefully tucking some dark hair from her mouth. Reverently, Naruto placed it behind her ear, fingertips softly following the curve of her ear. The girl shivered at the touch, hoping the movement would not give her away. The hand retreated, replaced by his voice. "Ne, ne," He stumbled a bit at finding words. The pause expanded in dark, and he continued.

"...You've no idea what you mean to me. You're the only one who accepted me...Well, seen _me_, Uzumaki Naruto, instead of the Kyuubi inside of me. You even saw past me being an obnoxious dumb-ass. Everyone didn't see it when you did, and I...It's like you were always there, Hinata-chan. Out of everyone, you didn't need to see because...Well, I dunno.

"At first, I was kind of uncomfortable around you. Hinata-chan was so quiet, and I was so loud that I covered you up. I didn't know if you had chosen to ignore me, accept me, or reject me. I couldn't tell, so I didn't approach you often. Hinata-chan always seemed to avoid me, so I figured it was best to leave it be. I was afraid of speaking to you, you know...Afraid of saying the wrong thing. That little wrong thing could have finally tipped your balance, could make you hate me like so many others. I didn't..._don't_ want that. And now...now you're here, and I'm here. It's kind of funny how things end up, you know?...I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you accepted me...No, you went past that. You love me, and I want...I want to thank you so much, but...I...I don't know how, that's all."

He quietly lifted the futon's blanket, and slipped underneath, arms weaving under Hanabi's to wrap around Hinata, securing them against his chest. He sighed deeply, his chest rising then falling against Hinata's, and bent his head down over hers. Hinata let her cheek fall into the curve of his neck and shoulder. Naruto leaned down even further, and whispered into her hair, "Thank you," Then he silently kissed her on the forehead. Hinata fought the urge to stir from the contact, noting how carefully he held her. All was well in the world, as long as she was cradled in his arms. _Here..._She started to sink into her dreams when there was a tap against the window. Hinata sat up slightly, disengaging the other's hold on her. It was Chikako-nee-san!

The woman grinned brashly and motioned for the slight girl to let her in. Hinata padded over and slid the window open before standing back to allow the sandy-haired woman entrance. Chikako dropped to the floor, inspecting the place with a shrewd eye. She indicated the sparse furnishings, and commented, "Well...It looks comfortable."

"It is comfortable, Nee-san."

The woman's smile widened at Hinata-chan's response, and rifled through her green jacket. She unearthed a horribly familiar package of brown paper, and placed it on the table carefully, like it was a ticking bomb. She produced the other package, and lay it on top of the other gently before turning back to the dark-haired girl. She said, "Happy Birthday, Hinata-chan," Chikako leaped through the window and sailed through into the restless Konoha night. The Hyuuga stood frozen, speechless. It was her birthday? She was fourteen? Was Naruto-kun fourteen? How could she have forgotten her own birthday? The silent room provided no answers. She walked back over to the futon, and climbed in, carefully avoiding various limbs. She didn't want to even consider opening the packages, even though she'd have to eventually. These were gifts, and she had no choice but to accept them. A sliver of color had snuck into the horizon when no one was watching it. She released a pent-up breath, and dipped beneath the surface of her dreams. Before any further worries about the packages could grow within her mind, her mind went gray.

She awoke again to the sound of someone banging on the apartment door. The pale girl winced at the intrusive pounding, and called out sleepily, "Please come in!" The door cracked open as a girl with stunningly pale blonde hair entered. Her purple-blue eyes swept across he apartment before her; they seemed to glitter with malice as they basked in the glory of Uzumaki Naruto and Hinata Hyuuga tangled together on a futon. Ino was practically levitating with glee; the gossip to come from this! She coughed in a vague reference to modesty's sake, then put one hand on her hip, flipped the section of hair in her face to her right, and said as casually as possible, "Hey Hinata-chan, Naruto, the Hokage wants to see you."

"Right now, Ino-chan?"

"She said something like, 'If they're not awake, drag the here by their bunny slippers if necessary' She seemed really piss-...uh, mad."

Ino caught sight of Hanabi as Hinata navigated her way out of the bed. She blinked for a moment, thinking Hanabi was Neji, but was quick to change her mind. After all, Neji Hyuuga wouldn't even consider staying within twenty feet of the blonde genin for more than ten minutes without tearing his gorgeous hair out, let alone sleep in the same futon with him. The blonde girl threw Hinata her weird jacket-coat thing, and shamelessly walked over to the futon to kick the other genin awake. Hinata stepped in her way quietly, predicting Ino's actions, and crouched to wake Naruto-kun up. As he opened his eyes, a smile and blush spread across the Hyuuga's face. A smile and blush reserved for Naruto-kun to wake up to. It was kind of cute, Ino decided. She'd never seen anyone with that kind of devotion to their crush before. Sure, Forehead and Sasuke-kun were pretty impressive, but this was mutual. Softer, more contact, and absorbing. Ino exited quietly, leaning against the outer wall, waiting for her friends. A voice she'd come to begrudge complained, "What?"

"Morning, Shikamaru."

"The Hokage sent you as well?"

"They're almost ready."

"Which means I was woken up early for nothing?"

"So go back to bed! I've got this covered."

"The Hokage will be expecting me anyway. Besides, I'm already awake. Tch, troublesome."

Ino was used to Nara Shikamaru and his complaints with, well, the universe. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her purple top. Now it was only a matter of time before the brown-haired boy next to her became irritated with this "troublesome" waiting. He may be a super genius, but he has the patience of a three-year-old. The two genins exchanged glances for the first time, and Shikamaru muttered something that was undoubtedly "troublesome" under his breath as the response for their silent question. She grit her teeth, and asked sharply, "Did you ever consider that you use that word too much?" Shikamaru dipped his head and ignored the question, the reply quite obvious in his quiet. She could damn well answer it herself. There was a crash from within the apartment, followed by Hinata protesting, "P-Please don't open--Byakugan!" Something hit the floor heavily, and Hinata poked her head out of the door, reddening at her friend's blank "I'm-not-going-to-ask-but-I-have-suspicions" faces.

"U-Um, Naruto-kun tried to touch something of mine I didn't want him to..."

Without further explanation or clarification, the Hyuuga ducked back indoors and paced nervously in front of the prone Naruto. He was a fast healer, so the tenketsu should clear up quickly, but she didn't want him going for the two packages again. She fingered the strip of silk around her neck, an waited. Outside, Ino finally turned to the Nara and asked, "Do you think that--"

"No."

"Well, why else would they m--"

"No."

Crystal-clear eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That's not even a possible answer, Shikamaru!"

"Troublesome questions get implausible answers."

They gave each other their usual mutual glares, and looked out together at their home-town. Ino grinned at the sun crawling its way above the horizon, her hair whipping in the wind like a pale banner. Or so Shikamaru compulsively compared it to. A single cumulus cloud clung to the bottom of the sun, a miniscule warning of the rain to come that night. It wasn't worth observing, really. Ino switched positions against the wall, and launched into an angry soliloquy about her "Guy Problem". Shikamaru tuned her out, enjoying the now routine buzz it left in the background of his thoughts. Damn if the girl was annoying, but she had a good rhythm (and pace) once she got going. He closed his eyes, and put more of his weight against the wall, waiting for further noises from Naruto and Hinata. There wasn't a single disturbance of the peace. His brain noncommittally calculated the odds of this being a good thing. The result was a remarkably low. He shrugged the statistics off like a rant (compliments of Yamanaka Ino).

Meanwhile, Naruto had just regained consciousness, watching Hinata-chan apply some ointment to the tender area of skin. Panicking, she apologized again, "Naruto-kun, I am so sorry! It was really--" The blonde laughed, and winced slightly as the fingers prodded the oncoming bruise. He wouldn't be able to laugh very hard for the morning, but Hinata-chan sure knew her stuff when it came to ointments. Why, he could feel the bruise mending as she applied it! He replied, embarrassed, "Nah, I get it, I get it. I'm not allowed to touch those two packages--I just figured it out the hard way, that's all." Hinata paused, enjoying the words before continuing to patch him up.

As she leaned forward to inspect the fading bruise one last time, Naruto felt a section of the old obi around her neck and asked evenly, "Can you tell me about this now, Hinata-chan?" The Hyuuga nodded, and stated calmly, "This was the obi from my first kimono. I wore it on my fourth birthday, the day Neji-nii-san was branded with the cursed seal. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and there was nothing more in the world I could have admired.

"When I turned five, and began at the Ninja Academy, my mother gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Hanabi. However, my mother did not survive the birth. When she died, something inside of my father was released upon Neji-nii-san, Hanabi, and I. As I hadn't shown any talent for the Byakugan techniques or any other forms of jutsu, he saw me as a failure. My father is the type to abandon failures, and so he severed all positive emotional ties with me. And the only thing left in my world that could bring a smile to my face, no matter what situation, was taken away. He took my kimonos from me, and gave them to Hanabi, like I'd died. In his mind, I had. Then he took my hopes, my dreams. And then...he took my Hanabi from me."

Naruto glanced at the still-sleeping Hanabi, his throat tightening with anger. He'd told Hinata-chan that no one deserved to be punished for being kind, and here she was, informing of him of the endless strands of abuse. His hand constricted into a fist, knuckles white. He'd made a promise that it would never happen to her again, but the more he tried to clear from her consciousness, the more he realized that it couldn't be cleared. There was just too much to forgive, to forget. He hadn't realized how strong Hinata-chan truly was. And now he didn't want her any other way. The pale female ninja tied of the bandaging and helped Naruto up, smiling briefly for him before handing him his T-shirt and jacket.

"The Hokage wants to see us, Naruto-kun, and Ino-chan is outside waiting for us."

"Tsunade-baa-chan? What does she want from us?"

"I don't know, so let's find out."

--

Tsunade checked the now rumpled page of magazine once more, and glanced over the top of it at the two genin in front of her, leveling the more exuberant one to her left with her gaze. She repeated dryly, "You've decided to eject yourself from the Hyuuga clan, and you're asking me for help?" The dark-haired girl nodded, her chin pointing out persistently. The Fifth Hokage grunted and turned the magazine page so Naruto and Hinata could see it. A teenage girl smiled back, her black hair shining indigo in the highlights, her pale blue-gray eyes sparkling with innocence. Naruto blinked. At a first glance, he would have sworn it was Hinata-chan, her hair grown out. But the eyes were the difference. Tsunade asked tersely, "Hinata-chan, do you know who this is?" Hinata stared at the picture, shaken. It just continued to smile back. She thought she'd seen those eyes before among the pale set at the Hyuuga compound, but she couldn't seem to match a name to them. She shook her head slowly, mesmerized by the look-alike. Tsunade grunted again, this time with a sort of smirking pleasure.

"This is you mother's sister's daughter. Your other cousin. Her name is Mieko Miyazoma."

Hinata shook her head again. This was a mistake. Her mother had no sisters, only a brother. And even if her mother had a sister, and that sister had a daughter, she would bear the Hyuuga name and live within the compound. Besides, her father had told her that Neji-nii-san was her only cousin, long ago. Then again, when did she believe anything her father said? Tsunade nodded, and continued, "The reason you don't know Mieko Miyazoma and her mother, Haruka, is because Haruka Hyuuga escaped from the Hyuuga clan just before the Kyuubi's rampage."

Naruto bowed his head at the mention of his inner demon, and tensed.

"As soon as Haruka escaped, the Hyuuga clan reacted by erasing her from their histories, their portraits, and their records. However, as with all families, one painting must have been left alone, one scroll of names left unchanged. Because of your constant hiding in the Hyuuga compound, I'm sure you must have found it before, Hinata-chan. Naruto! I didn't mean you, for Christ's sake! Put the exploding tags away!"

Naruto cursed and stowed the tags, his muscles bunching together with stress. _Why does the damned Kyuubi get mentioned every time I get into this office!?_

"Now, the reason why I'm telling this to you is because Haruka Hyuuga was a great talent with the Byakugan techniques. So great, in fact, that she was considered a threat to the leader of the Hyuuga clan, Hiashi-sama's father. The team she was within was able to go on A-ranked missions by the time they became chunnin. When Haruka did become a chunnin, several attempts were made on her life, all from within the clan. Knowing she had no choice, Haruka came to the Fourth Hokage, asking for help. Like you are now. Yondaime had no way to help her but to make sure that the Hyuugas would not lash out at her. As it turned out, he didn't need to worry because..."

She glanced at Naruto's taut face.

"Well, anyway, I believe you two know Yamanaka Ino?"

Both genin nodded silently, wondering how this fit in.

"Her father was in love with Haruka, and helped her escape. He spent four moths building his chakra, and infiltrated the Hyuuga compound a week before..."

Another glance, another pregnant pause.

"Anyway, he used his clan's special jutsu to convince Haruka she was dead. He literally stopped her heart. Then he carried her out of the compound, wiping his appearance from the memories of anyone who saw him within the compound. That was all he told the Fourth Hokage, and all that is on record. He revived her, I assume, and Haruka Hyuuga left for what was then Konoha's worst enemy, the Country of Sand. She was fifteen."

Hinata raised her index fingers and put their tips together, quiet with awe. She had never known anyone who was so committed to a goal that they trusted someone enough to kill them and revive them afterwards. The slight girl closed her eyes, hoping to see if she was strong enough to do something so risky. All she saw was her father, her cousin, and Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun won, cutting the others off before they could even get more than a couple of words out. _I can do this! _

Hinata raised her pale gaze, Byakugan mixing with her confidence. Power pulsing in her words, she stated flatly, "I'll do it, Hokage-sama." Naruto blinked, and stared at her. Although he could not quite see why, Hinata-chan was beautiful in the Byakugan state. Many people were disgusted by it, troubled by the piercing pale eyes, the vision it gave, and the veins twisting underneath the skin. But when he looked at her like this, he didn't see that. He couldn't. When Hinata-chan was in the Byakugan state, she was at her most confident, her most powerful. She was what he hoped she would become with time. He swiveled his head back to tsunade, and said, "I will do it as well."

The blonde woman repressed an approving grin.

"That's great an' all, you two, but you don't know what you're doing yet."

Both genin felt the expression on their face fall off.

There was a knock at the door.

Tsunade leaned to the side so she could see past the now crest-fallen ninjas, and called out, "Come in!" Shizune entered, letting an irritated Neji and beaming TenTen into the office. When the two saw Naruto and Hinata, Neji's face darkened and went smooth. He muttered, aware of the staring, "TenTen, will you please let go of my hand now?" The brunette's beam morphed into a quick smirk.

"No."

The smirk was a beam again in a flash.

Neji stepped forward, ignoring the fact that Naruto and Hinata were staring at the joined hands fervently with eyes of disbelief, and said formally, "We wish to help with Hinata-sama's escape. We had a plan to distract Hiashi-sama, but we need Nara Shik--"

"I'm here already."

"Hey!"

"Tch. And Ino, too. We, apparently, want to help."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. Hinata shrank back. Neji stiffened, knowing a pale blonde's razor-sharp eyes had ratcheted onto the joined hands. TenTen, on the other hand, was totally relaxed, spinning around to wave at the Nara, exclaiming briskly, "Shikamaru! I was lookin' for you yesterday! Where were you?" The brown-haired strategist made that noise again and left the answer for TenTen to find. That grin had returned to Ino's face, eyes locked on Neji and Tenten's hands. Shizune winced, and tried to walk out as quietly as possible. If there was a time not to be in Tsunade-sama's office, it was when there were six other people were there. And then a voice that sounded bored, but faintly entertained by the chaos said evenly, "Naruto. Shikamaru. Neji."

And all hell broke loose.

**As I said, I'm tucking that 10k chapter challenge away for later, and here is a very late chapter eleven. Sorry about the wait. And the cliff-hanger. And the OCs. Review, please. I'm not sure if I'm going insane with this or not. Chapter twelve will be out soon (I hope), as it's basically going to pick up right where I left off.**


	12. Windows

**Final pairings for this fic: NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno, SasuSaku. Sand Trio might come in sometime, but for now they are no-shows. My apologies.**

**Disclaimer: I do not the Naruto series, anime, or franchise. **

Chapter 12: Open Windows

Shikamaru closed his eyes, and thought, _God no. Please God, no. _The pale blonde next to him turned around, and he could practically feel the progressive facial expressions of "Omigawd it's Sasuke!", "Omigawd it's Sasuke what-the-fuck-am-I-doing-wearing-this-around-Sasuke!", "Well, shit. There's Sakura.", and the supposed new one, "Omigawd it's Sasuke--Wait, what the fuck is Sakura doing with Sasuke's arms wrapped around her man-shoulders!?". The last one went verbal as well, Ino smacking her hands over her mouth afterward. The pink-haired koinichi just smirked, pleased with Pig's reactions, and turned her attentions to the other ninjas. Shikamaru was facing away from them, probably already aware...and promptly very over it. Her sea-foam green eyes moved on, assessing the slack-jawed TenTen, the ever-calm Neji, his eyes closed and his fingers to his temple, muttering, "As if this could get any worse..." Last of all was the blonde genin and the paler girl next to him, seated in front of the twitching, pissed Tsunade. They looked...not surprised, not shocked, not angry. Well, Hinata looked extremely uncomfortable, and Naruto had that "what-the-hell-ttebayo!?" feeling about him. But that was Hinata, and that was Naruto. For a moment, Sakura felt sorry for the blonde boy, but all feelings of sympathy evaporated when he reached out and grasped Hinata's hand, the two sinking into an unbearably adorable blush. _So that's why Sasuke-kun was so eager to get in here... _Speaking of Sasuke, he repeated his comment, and walked forward.

"Naruto. Shikamaru. Neji."

There was a moment of frozen, awkward silence.

Then everyone came down on the two members of team seven, all talking at once.

Tsunade didn't know which one of her moods to be swallowed in. There was the relief that the Uchiha was back in Konoha, and that Hinata-chan was finally growing into what she was underneath. Then there was the irritation that there were now eight excited teenagers in her office, the irritation that Shizune had crept off, the irritation from Naruto being within ten feet of her...Right. More irritation than relief. Finally, that little spark of happiness and pride. The latest generation of ninjas were now whole once again. All without anybody dying. Yet. She raised her hand and smacked it down on the desk, cracking the wood. She commanded sharply, "BE SILENT." Magically, everyone stopped, turning back to pay attention to the Fifth Hokage. Sasuke slouched over to naruto, jamming his hands into his pockets. He asked calmly, like he already knew the answer, "Hokage-sama, I wish to join Konoha's ranks once again." The blonde Sannin smirked, eyes glimmering before nodding slowly. She asked calmly, "Sasuke-kun, are you prepared to face the difficulties this decision will provoke?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Sakura?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Go find Shizune. Bring her back, please. I will need her."

"Ma'am."

Tsunade laced her fingers into a platform, resting her chin on it. Her eyes swept along the honest faces. They were all too young, really. Too young to have seen what they'd seen, done what they'd done. But it was all part of the role. She picked up the magazine again, and ran through the explanation once more. As the story unfolded, Neji's grip on TenTen's hand tightened, retreating into his own furious thoughts as more Hyuuga cruelty was laid before him. The brunette next to him glanced down at the hands, and back up into his face. _I know it's hard, but we need you with us, Neji. Your Hinata needs you. _ Sasuke was also retreating, Itachi's words playing over and over. It was happening all over again. Another clan was about to die. Not as his had, but in a different way. The internally damaging, Hyuuga way.

At the mention of her father, Ino's mouth opened to protest, but Shikamaru reached over his shoulder and clamped it shut with his hand. She really _was_ too predictable. _Besides, I really don't want to hear another rant-session from Princess. My limit for an hour is one. _Sakura returned with a haggled-looking Shizune, her eyes widening as Sasuke leaned down and whispered the story so far into her ear. It couldn't be true...She'd always known that the noble clans were very exclusive and doubly as rigid, but going as far as the Hyuugas did was previously unimaginable. Now it all made sense...Hinata never inviting Sakura over, never talking about her parents or Neji, never being excited about anything except Naruto, not having her own ceremonial kimono although she was of the richest family.

As she finished her explanation of Haruka Hyuuga's escape, Tsunade glanced at Hinata, eyes asking a question. The dark-haired girl nodded, then raised her knees to her chest in the chair, one arm out to hold Naruto's hand. Taking a breath, Tsunade continued, "Some of us--yes, Shikamaru, I mean you--will want to ask me why we should do this. If you really _do_ want to know, you can ask Hinata-chan. She _might_ tell you. We all love Hinata-chan--oh, for crying out loud Naruto, Neji, it's a figure of speech--so we should reuse this plan. Perhaps we should change it in a few ways--Ino, this is important, stop glaring at Sakura--because I am sure that Hiashi will realize what we are doing. He will have prob--Sakura, stop sticking your tongue out at Ino!--probably made precautions against this sort of thing."

Shikamaru stepped forward, rolling his eyes at the silently imploding Ino and the general situation itself, and grumbled, "I have some ideas, but I'm not sure _Princess_ over there would be up for them." Ino's freed mouth went slack, and then she retorted with the ever-so-witty, "WHAT!?" The brown-haired Nara rolled his eyes and rounded onto her. "I said Princess, Princess. Your ears need to be checked." He turned back to Tsunade. "Anyways, the best thing we could do if Princess refuses to help because she might break a nail is Neji."

"SHIKAMAAARU!? _PRINCESS_!?"

"Me?"

"Yes Neji, you."

Tsunade slammed her hand back down on the desk, this time creating a dent.

"INO! SHIKAMARU! THE LOVER'S SPAT ENDS HERE! DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK, NARA! I DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS! NARA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR! RESPECT IT!"

The genin silenced, all waiting for Shikamaru to mutter his favorite word. It didn't come.

"Tch. Neji, you and TenTen will have to distract Hiashi. I know that he's been training you, and the best way to distract him is if you and TenTen do...something. I don't know Hiashi well, so you two figure that one out on your own. Ino, you'll need to train up on...whatever it is that your family does. I dunno the name of it. Hinata, you're still living on the compound, right?"

There was another one of those silences, the kind that people get killed for.

"N-No...I'm living with Naruto-kun."

"Oh."

_Well, THAT was unexpected._

Shikamaru coughed, and righted his thoughts. It was received with a shrewd silence. He stumbled, "Um...So we need to change plans, obviously. Hinata, we need you to go back to the compound. The only reasonable way for this to end is if Hinata officially ejects herself. The way to take down such an influential person is to cut off his venues of power. Obviously, his largest is the Hyuuga clan and its famous Hyuuga "warriors", cultivated for merciless battle.

"Neji? Tenten? Your job is too cut that off from him. Neji, your "infiltration", if you will, of the Head family's techniques has created a breach in the system. You've also become very powerful among the Branch family members, who are the main make-up of the Hyuuga warriors. If you two were able to provoke some sort of up-rise against Hiashi, maybe use the sheer force of numbers to show Hiashi that the Branch family is capable of such techniques, and deserves the knowledge involved with them, regardless of their parents or abilities."

The two oldest genin in the room exchanged glances, nodded solemnly at each other, and walked out. Just before Neji dragged her around the corner, TenTen twisted and stuck out her tongue, mouthing, "I'm-proud-Hinata-chan!" As soon as they were free of their friend's eyes, Neji stopped, attempted, very gently, to shake his hand out of TenTen's grip. It didn't work as well as he thought it would. The brunette next to him merely smiled and handed him a thermos of tea. He imploded. In a voice that would have made icicles drip off of Rock Lee's eyebrows, he said, pronouncing every consonant in his cold fury, "Are you happy now?"

"Yes, very."

"...Oh."

She rolled her eyes, and shook the thermos a little, gesturing for him to take it.

"Drink your tea, Neji..."

--

The genin all gathered around Naruto and Hinata, faces hard as Tsunade gave them permission. Sakura was speechless, her eyes locked on Naruto's hand entangled with Hinata-chan's. The Hyuuga wasn't fainting, she wasn't stumbling across syllables, she wasn't staring at their hands like it was random. Inner Sakura turned to the closest wall and brought her head against it, hard. _Damn! DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! How could I not notice that!? DAMN! _She smiled as well, happy for her quiet friend. It wasn't often something ended well for a ninja. Her eyes trailed to Sasuke, catching the flint within his dark eyes that was waiting for its day to gleam. The day it would witness the death of Uchiha Itachi. It was only a matter of time. _But then again...Maybe things end well if you look for them. _Tsunade finished her permission speech, and lowered her head to the paperwork as a signal for them to leave. The six ninja filed out, different degrees of somber determination on their faces. If they were lucky, they might pull this off. Sakura dragged her feet idly, hoping Sasuke would pick up on the signal to slow down so she could link arms with Hinata. The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, and slowed, allowing Sakura to hook her arm into Hinata's. The dark-haired girl jumped slight, then seemed to sink into her collar, face going red. Sakura grinned evilly, and teased, "So, he finally figured it out, Hinata-chan?" There was a protest from the blonde on the other side of Hinata.

"Oy! I knew, I just...uh..."

"Right, Naruto. Sure."

"Sakura-chaaaaaan! Sasuke, can you shut her up!?"

"My life is worth more than yours. So that's a negative."

"EEEEEH!?"

Behind the four, Ino and Shikamaru watched wryly, feeling somewhat forgotten. The Yamanaka lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. Shikamaru turned his head away with a sigh, expecting the beginning of a scold for calling her "Princess". But instead, an uncharacteristically hushed voice asked timidly, "Why...didn't you correct her?" Shikamaru twisted his neck so quickly that he felt something crack. He replied, "Correct her about what?" Ino's head lowered further. She murmured softly, "She said we were lovers. Why didn't you correct her?"

"Wha..."

"I thought you hated me. Will you please just make up your mind? I can't take it much longer! I'm so dumb and you're so smart, and you've got to be the one to make the decisions here!"

"...Wha..."

Ino's blue-purple eyes flickered up at him, scalding his ego.

"I said, you're the smart one! Do something!"

Shikamaru blinked.

"Something?"

Nothing came out of his mouth.

"Please."

There were just too many things to say.

And it came out.

"Troublesome."

She recoiled in shock, face openly hurt before she took off to catch up with the other genin. She'd just forget about him, after all. There were so many other hot guys in Konoha, but Shikamaru...She'd never expected that she, of all people, would...She stumbled up between Hinata and Sakura, breaking into the linked group. The pink-haired girl had a good look at the pale blonde, and asked, "Ino-chan? Are you alright? You're crying."

"I'm fine, Forehead--"

"What!? Pig!"

"--I hope. What!? PIG!? WHY, YOU--"

Naruto broke in, tired of the childish squabbling.

"Shut up! Geez!"

The two female ninja leaned out to look at him, glares promising death and possible castration. They both opened their mouths at the same time. Naruto cringed. _Well, shit._

**It's shorter, but I'm updating faster. Yep, a bit of everything for everyone out there. Next chapter whenever I feel like it. The action should start back up now.**


	13. Memories

**Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER**

Chapter 13: Broken Memories

Hiashi ripped through his oldest daughter's remaining possessions, looking for some sort of clue as to where she had gone. It wasn't just Hinata this time; it was Hanabi as well. He tossed aside a lid from a box that had been buried deep in one of the drawers, and froze, white eyes locked on the contents. He reached in carefully and picked up the bundle of papers, sliding the Konoha forehead protector off of it. Stitched into the back of the metal plate was "Hitomi Hyuuga: Until the sun sets on your life, you are mine". He could remember being that single-minded, stubborn chunnin adding the inscription to the inside of Hitomi's forehead protector one day. Now it seemed stupid, but back then... He placed the forehead protector on to the tatami floor next to him carefully, and opened the first page of the papers, already knowing what it was.

_August 19th, 1977. Today I came back from a three month mission that the Sandaime gave me especially. After all, who is supposed to forge out and find that special herb he needs for his ink? I was surprised by how little of it there was, considering he sent my team all the way to the Wave country to find it. But, anyway, I came home and barely had time before Haruka attacked me, shuuriken and all! I caught them pretty easily, although I do admit she's getting better. Hizashi left me a note saying that Hiashi has a crush on me. He's very... sensible. I guess. --Hitomi _

_November 4th, 1977. Haruka is starting to scare me. Her talent for Byakugan has come to the attention of Hiashi's father, and she's stopped setting traps up for me. I think it was because, for the first time, she was better than me when we sparred. How could she have grown so strong? And speaking of Hiashi, he seems more attentive to her now. Good. He's a little stiff for me. --Hitomi_

_March 14th (White Day!), 1977. Hiashi confessed. To me, not Haruka. I'm not sure how to answer. We ARE old enough to be married, but... Father says it would be for the best. And besides, even though he has so many worries, Hiashi's eyes soften when he sees me. He's very kind once you get past the mannered exterior. I wonder how well he is with children. I hope that if we do get married that we'll have girls so that I can--_

Hiashi dropped the papers, eyes wide. It had been so long that he'd forgotten how much Hitomi had loved Hinata. And hearing Hitomi's earnest, laughing voice in those words was crippling. The papers landed in a scattered manner all around him. Frantic, he dug deeper into the box, throwing aside pictures of Hitomi and Haruka striking poses, a book of her silly sketches, an old birthday card, a string of beads. And finally, lying there at the bottom, what Hiashi had hoped Hinata had not found in the trash and saved after her mother's death. A folded up piece of drawing paper.

Hands shaking, the Hyuuga unfolded it, holding it open before him like a map, searching for the answers he could not find. A pen sketch of him and Hinata, the young girl asleep, her head in his lap. It would have been a beautiful picture if not for the blisters on Hinata's small hands, the bruises growing on her spindly arms. And the blood he had been gently washing from the little girl's face before she had collapsed from exhaustion. But despite of all of that, the pale girl had fallen to sleep with a smile on her face. At the bottom of the piece of paper, the lines had been smeared by Hitomi's tears. He closed the paper slowly, putting it back in the box and staring at it blankly like it was a time-bomb. She'd always argued with him about the way he trained Hinata, about how he was pushing her too hard for her to grow. He hadn't even thought twice about it since she died. It was the way he was taught, and it was the way he taught Hanabi.

Hiashi couldn't put the things back in the box. He kneeled, trapped in a ring of happy, broken memories, trying not cry. Hitomi had been the only person besides Hizashi who could see past what he had made himself for his duties a the Hyuuga heir. But now that Hizashi was immolated for his sake, and Hitomi dead from his own greed for a male or at least stronger heir, all he had left was his duties... And the personality that went with them. Hinata could obviously remember his previous ways, back when Hitomi was alive, and she clung to them. Now he knew why she held back when she sparred. Not because she was afraid of being hurt, but because she was afraid of hurting him. Afraid that if she gave him what he wanted, she'd lose what she missed most forever. _All of this time, I thought you were a failure... How did you surpass that? _Someone knocked one the door-frame behind him, and Hiashi ripped his white eyes away from the box. It was Neji. The younger Hyuuga remained silent, studying the clan leader surrounded by photographs and papers. Finally, Hiashi barked hollowly, "She's back?"

Neji nodded.

"And Hanabi?"

Neji dipped his head again, wanting to ask about the mess.

Hiashi stood, and stepped over the box's contents, drawing his hands in front of him, bringing the sleeves of his kimono together.

"Take me to them."

--

Shikamaru spat. His plan now had no basis with the actual circumstances, and Hinata had just gone in by herself. Naruto was with her, probably henge-no-jutsu-ed as a potted plant, and Neji was there, but he was in Humble-Servant-Neji mode, and TenTen was off training with Rock Lee, and Sakura and Sasuke? God knows, and was it really worth finding out? And then the necessity for his plan, Ino... She was probably off somewhere moping about because she thought she had been rejected. So, once again, he was the only one there. He spat again. Since he was the only one, it was a moot point to try and support Hinata if she needed back-up when clearing out. He was just a spectator at this point. _She went an hour early! She purposely made sure that none of us would be here. What could she possibly gain from this?_

When Hiashi had swept into the room, he looked shaken, like he'd recently seen something he wished to have not seen again. A bad memory, perhaps. His white eyes were impenetrable as they held his two daughters in his hard gaze. Hanabi had mimicked Hinata into the kneeled position, her head turned down. But Hinata held her chin up, meeting her father's inspection with scrutiny and measured anger. The Hyuuga clan leader could not bring himself to oppose the rebellion in those lavender eyes. He kneeled as well, leaning back onto his heels as his daughters had done. Then he asked, gravel in his voice, "What brings you here, Hinata?"

"Hanabi. And Neji. And myself."

His voice tightened at the vague answer. He was not used to having his questions evaded by his own children.

"I'll ask again. What brings you here?"

Hinata's eyes flickered to a stack of seating pillows in the corner, as if reassuring its assistance. Neji stiffened, realizing the meaning immediately. The dark-haired girl reached for Hanabi's hand for strength, and upon finding it, answered steadily, "I am leaving the Hyuuga clan by my own will. But before you go into a rampage, tell me that I am wrong, brand me with the Caged Bird seal, and cast me away, hear me out. Just for once, father, hear me.

"Someday I would've become the Hyuuga clan leader, like you. But if that meant giving up my personality, giving up my dreams, then I refuse it. I refused it long ago, when I first discovered that power did not mean strength in numbers or strength in wealth. Power is control of yourself. And I shifted my training from your ideals to mine. I held back, gave up, allowed you to become displeased with me... After I had tried so hard to satisfy or surpass your goals, I never received approval. All I received was a comparison to my own sister, and another goal that seemed too far away to reach. You wanted me to fail, to be rid of me. Hanabi was a better candidate for the heir. But do you see what you're doing to her?

"It's not that I don't respect you a shinobi, father, it is that I cannot respect you as a human being. Even I have more power than you because I can see where my control ends. My strength is in control, not force, and I continue to improve. I can even love, let it consume me as it did you with my mother, but restrain myself that I do not become propelled by it."

Her pale eyes flashed to the stack of pillows again. The movement was finally noticed by the granite-faced Hiashi. Suspicion welled in his thoughts.

"Each person is good at something, and should deserve every chance that others do. Neji-nii-san deserved the chance to learn the Head family techniques, and you gave it to him. But how do you know that there isn't another Hyuuga like him in the Branch family? Your jealous protection has destroyed your relationship with your own family. You'd never know. Why is it that Hanabi deserves your patience and tutoring while I did not, although I worked just as hard, and still do? Don't you see? You've shut yourself out, and Neji-nii-san, Hanabi, and I with you."

Her hands curled into fists, her eyes narrowed, her back straightened.

"All I wanted was your approval! That's all I ever wanted, father! Am I not good enough to receive it?"

Stunned, the oldest Hyuuga present remained as he was. Hinata's fists relaxed back into hands, her eyebrows rising up in a sad tilt.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. I have someone else's approval. Everybody's approval. Everyone, that is, except you."

Hiashi remained still, not saying anything. Neji inspected his shielded white eyes and was surprised to find a shockingly grim pride behind their anger. The Hyuuga clan leader bowed his head, then commented, "And this is your choice. To leave the clan..." He waited for his eldest daughter's affirmation before continuing softly, "...But you are wrong. I have always approved of you, since the day you first looked at me with the Byakugan in your eyes to today, where you look at me with the grace and steel of a true Hyuuga. If only it weren't your contempt for me that caused me to hold you in high regards."

There was a suspended second of disbelief, then Hinata stood up, her lavender eyes locked on her father. She shook her head, and spat, "That is pathetic. What have you become in these last weeks, a sentimental old man?" She pulled a kunai from the pack at her hip, and held it in her mouth, fingers forming the beginning seals for shiirudo-hoorudoappu-no-jutsu. She blinked back tears, and said around the kunai, "If you wish to hold me in such high regards, let me prove it with my strength, not my candor and valor."

Neji sat between the two, off to the side. He scrutinized Hinata and felt his eyebrows rise with surprise. _She's provoking Hiashi-sama on purpose... She WANTS to battle him. Like she battled me. _He checked the stack of pillows again, and nodded curtly at them. The top pillow bent a corner in return. If Neji weren't a master of detecting such things, he would have passed it as a trick of the light. Hiashi stood, and replied calmly, "Very well." He walked out into the middle courtyard and flowed into the traditional Hyuuga stance. As soon as he was out of the room, a stack of pillows in the corner was replaced by a puff of smoke, then a blonde teenage boy. He scrambled over to the doorway and sat down straight in it. It no longer mattered if Hinata-chan's father knew he was here or not. Naruto frowned, and motioned over his shoulder for Neji and Hanabi to come watch. Both Hyuugas came to the doorway. Hanabi complained, "I know what Onee-san looks like fighting! She's not even worth Father's chak--"

"Shut up, brat. You don't know anything about Hinata-chan."

Hanabi regressed into a silence, glancing up at Neji-nii-san, who merely stared at her with those eyes before returning his attention to the spar. She felt her mouth drop open, and she whirled back to stare at her sister and father face each other, Hiashi a Hyuuga, Hinata a... _What is that stance? I don't recognize it from any of the texts Father gave me. _

"Neji-nii-san, what is--?"

"That, Hanabi-sama, is Hinata-sama. Learn well."

And the spar began.

**Hello, hello. This arc will probably be in two or three parts. Please review.**


	14. Rocks

**Sorry, but "ku ku ku..."**

**Disclaimer: ...Whatever. I'm done with trying to make up creative ways of saying I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 14: Lone Rocks

Hinata crouched slightly, taking up a stance she had modified from Kiba, arms hanging down loosely. She blinked at her father, aware that he was probably going to wait out until she was exhausted before even thinking of laying a blow on her. So she reserved a section of her chakra for later, and gripped the kunai tighter, rising in front of her face. She muttered angrily, "Byakugan."

Hiashi pushed the sleeves of his kimono back slightly, and assumed a Hyuuga stance as though it was how he slept. The veins rose around his white eyes, making his face even more severe. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible so that she would not be so spent as to be hurt. Although this was not his usual tactic when it came to sparring, it was necessary to show Hinata as little of the advanced Hyuuga moves as possible. If she were leaving the clan, then showing her any of these would be like... Destroying every rule in the Hyuuga clan. The rules that Hiashi fought so hard to protect and conduct upon. The longer he used these moves against her if sparring, the more likely Hinata would be able to pick up on them. He collected his mass and deposited it firmly in his feet, reinforcing it with chakra. He would not step back. He would not retreat. Hinata drew back slightly, depositing most of her weight on her back leg. She thought fiercely in her mind, _This is for you, everyone._ Then the pale girl rushed forward, releasing the kunai with a flick of the wrist, arms swinging up in front of her chest.

Her white hands flashed a set of seals, then she skidded to a halt, letting the force of her running stretch the long ropes of chakra extending from her arms towards her father. She contorted the blue energy, staying back and using it as her hands. The technique used very little chakra but needed the huge amount of chakra control Hinata possessed, which made it an excellent technique to use. Hiashi smirked, not sure whether to be worried, proud, or even afraid. _She has learned well. She knows not to go into close combat with a Hyuuga._ He dodged the first attack from the chakra-arms easily, spinning on the ball of his foot to keep his balance. But instead of continuing forward, as Hiashi had expect the chakra to do, the tendril curved and headed for him again, shooting down by his ankle. He cursed as the second tendril poked him in the back of the head. _She's waiting to see if I can battle this technique. Knowing my Hinata, this is probably her best move... _He scoffed as the tendrils jabbed him sharply on the small of the back. He wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish by this. Another jab, this one on his forearm. The Hyuuga clan leader's scoff transmuted into a curse as he realized what she was doing. One of his arms was already freezing up! She was using the chakra to block his tenketsu, and he'd been busy worrying about the tendril darting about his ankles. _I'm an idiot! _Her chakra control was so refined that she could touch him lightly without him feeling it. Hiashi sprang back, making the tendrils useless. He began drawing up seals for the Ultimate Defense, eyes locked on his daughter's face. She was obviously thinking hard, the cogs behind those lavender eyes assembling a new tactic.

Hinata watched her father hesitate--just a flicker between the last seals--before launching in the Kaiten, his form almost disappearing under a constant shield of chakra. Her hands whipped themselves through fluid seals, calling forward the Divine Protection, and quickly shot several needles of the chakra at her father's feet. The man cursed under his breath, knowing that Hinata must've figured out that the edges of the rotating shield were its weakest points. _I should have realized that! _Under the whirling chakra, he shook his head, trying to focus his thoughts. Obviously, his secret pride in his daughter had made it impossible for him to fight her with a lucid mind.

As these thoughts were perambulating through his mind's eye, Hinata sharpened her vision, the Byakugan dipping in and out of the Kaiten. Her eyes narrowed as the countenance on her father's face changed, and she murmured quickly, "Roudou sougi za sen shitsunen tsubame." She took a bold step forward, trembling as she strained every bit of chakra from her being into the mass around her. Her hair blew back from her face by the sheer force of the gale she created, Hinata closed her eyes, and let the chakra stretch into its simple, familiar wings. The eyes beneath her white lids were focused, but the mind behind those eyes was scattered. She has so many goals to achieve with a single blow, so many things she had to say in one simple statement... Under her breath, she whispered, "_Overwhelming._"

And the the chakra shot out from the wings, wrapping around the Kaiten.

At the doorway, Neji and Naruto watched silently as the chakra wound its way around the glowing sphere. Behind them, Hanabi had sat down on the floor, hands splayed back like she'd caught herself from a fall. She couldn't believe her eyes. What the Failure had shown wasn't Hyuuga... but it wasn't not Hyuuga either. The style had the fluidity of the Hyuuga fighting forms, but it also held a certain defensive aspect that made it impossible to predict. Hanabi's pink eyes tracked the seals her sister made, trying to connect them to anything she had seen before. She asked softly, "Neji-nii-san... What is...?"

The older Hyuuga turned to face her, looking down with slight irritation in those silver eyes.

"As I said before, that is Hinata... Hanabi_-sama_."

He seemed to spit out the suffix. Hanabi flinched, noticing how Hinata had dropped "-sama", but she Hanabi had not. Neji-nii-san had separated Hinata from the Hyuugas entirely. Hanabi fell silent, staring blankly as her cousin whirled back around to observe the battle. If Neji-nii-san had come to the conclusion that Hinata was different, then he must be sure that she would win this battle. Hanabi shuddered at the thought of it, and wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't that she wanted Father to win... She just didn't want him to lose, either.

Hiashi cursed as he saw the chakra rushing towards him, then scoffed once more as it flowed around him. It seemed to not be sharp enough to penetrate the Kaiten. If that had been her purpose, then she'd failed. There was no way to breach the Kaiten now... He began to prepare himself for attacking her when, suddenly, the chakra around him began to be pushed in. Much too late, Hiashi realized what his daughter was doing. He forgot about trying to attack her, and concentrated on holding the walls of his Kaiten. For a moment, it seemed that Hiashi would be able to keep his barrier up, but suddenly, it collapsed inward, the chakra gushing around him like a small flood. It constricted around him, holding the Hyuuga clan leader in place.

Naruto jumped in the air and cried out exuberantly, then hugged Neji, who stiffened. Hanabi stiffened as well, and stood up, her white fists clenched. _Break out, Father, break out! It looks so weak; you can do it! _Indeed, Hiashi was trying, but suddenly, a kunai pressed into the right side of his spine, exactly where his lung was. Hinata dropped her hands, and let the chakra around her disperse. She said firmly, "This is over, Father."

Her fingers, which were still stiff, relaxed, and the chakra melted away from her father.

Then her eyes slumped closed, her head drooped, her knees buckled, and she fell forward...

Right into her father's waiting embrace.

**Well, Hinata's out cold, and chapter ends. See y'all next month or so. Sorry for the late update.**


	15. Vines

**Alright, kill me if you want. I know I've waited forever to update. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 15: Rising Vines

When Hinata awoke, she was lying on Naruto's bed, a damp cloth on her forehead. For a moment, she absorbed the sunlight filtering through the open windows, enjoying its warmth after being left cold for so long. She raised a hand to touch her lips gently, breaking into a genuine smile, one that rivaled the warmth and light of the day. Then Naruto's exuberant grin filled her sight. He exclaimed, "Hinata-chan's awake!"

A resulting clamor rippled through the room, silencing the small assembly all crushed into Naruto's apartment. With embarrassment, Hinata nodded to Shikamaru, Negi, Hanabi... And scrabbled into a sitting position at the sight of her father. She was horrified not only by his presence but also by his almost relaxed [for him] situation in a chair. The female ninja tried to stand, but her legs bent under her. Catching her, Naruto chided, "Sheesh, Hinata-chan, do you ever stop falling to the ground?"

The ever-analytical Nara tipped an eyebrow, then said flatly, "Hinata, you could have waited for us, y'know. Well, whatever. It's too tiresome to bother wondering why. If you'll excuse me..." Then, knowing that the koinichi was conscious, Shikamaru left with as little fuss as he had appeared when Naruto and Neji were carrying Hinata's prone form back to Naruto's apartment. The brown-haired shinobi could understand Hinata's reasoning, but it would take him so much time to dismantle the plan and contact all of its various participants. For once, it truly was troublesome.

Naruto made a 'bah!' noise towards the shutting door, then his eyes snapped back to the pale girl. The blonde helped her to sit on the bed, then asked anxiously, "Do we need Sakura-chan? Or something, or I could like make you ramen or even--"

"She will be fine, Naruto-kun."

Neji's precise voice clipped through the rampage of worry. Hinata's cousin was standing between the bed and Hiashi, a neutral position. He continued, "You just exhausted yourself, Hinata. You'll be healed by tomorrow if you get enough sleep." The Hyuuga paused once more, arguing with himself as usual. Finally, he added, "...Also, I just wanted you to know that what you did..." His silver-white eyes glanced over his shoulder at Hiashi, who had yet to move. "...It was beyond. I mean, beyond what--"

"--Beyond what you expected. The same for me."

Hiashi finally let words escape him. He walked over to Hinata, and stood before her. For a thin moment, a silent conversation spat between them, praise and hatred, love and insults mingling in the air. Then the man let his shoulders sag, and he said out loud, "I would not cast you from the clan, if only from your exemplified skill today. But I, as well, I wish for you to remain among the Hyuugas. Your intelligence, your creativity, will guide the clan into a future brilliant with acceptance and happiness. I can only await the day you become this clan's Leader, and what peace you will finally bring to our troubled family. And I know..." What could have been a tear, but it couldn't have been, slid from one of Hiashi's white eyes. "...I know I am proud of you, and that your mother would be more proud of you than anything that is known in this world."

Silence shocked the room, tingling at Hinata's eyes and drying her throat. The dark-haired girl struggled to stand again to explain everything, to rejoice. Her legs defied her wishes. Hiashi, no, her father wandered awkwardly back to the table, distracting his emotions away from his daughter and to the two packages still lying forgotten on the table. Before Hinata could tell him to stop, the man picked one up and pulled back the brown paper, revealing a flash of silver before Hinata cried, "N-...No!"

But it was too late. Curious, Naruto ascended upon the packages, revealing a black parcel and a silver comb. The comb was intricate, the teeth glowing, and its crown decorated with enamel blossoms, white and pure against the silver. Delicate green leaves curled gently among the stalks. Cerulean eyes widening, Naruto recognized the tiny flowers as the same ones that had adorned that kimono Harpy-sensei had put on Hinata. Gaping, he turned and showed the comb to Hinata, who blushed. She pleaded, "Pl-...Please, those are my birthday gifts..."

Naruto grinned, and advanced upon her, saying excitedly, "I wanna see this in your hair!" He arranged it on the side of her head, his smile growing a blush as he stood back to admire. He grabbed the female ninja's arm and carried her to a mirror hanging on the wall, adding, "It looks awesome, Hinata-chan!" Hinata, distracted, did not see her father lift the lid off of the black parcel. Her father's face remained impassive, his hands holding the box up like a bowl of water. He seemed to be attempting to see what lay at the box's depths. Then, silent, the oldest Hyuuga gently lay the parcel on the table once more and reached into it to draw the kimono from its place. Finally aware, Hinata implored, "Father, please!"

But the kimono was already revealed, the inside layer a deep, marvelous navy with small sprigs of creamy yellow scattered upon it. Before Hinata could distract Naruto, the blonde ninja gasped in excitement and cried, "Hinata-chan! It's the kimono Harpy-sensei wanted you to get!" Hinata couldn't speak, her eyes riveted as her father set the inner layer aside and drew the middle one, a silvery white affair without pattern, then the outer layer with its lilies of the valley nearly radiant in their places on the silk. Once Hiashi had lifted each layer from the box, he at last came upon the obi. It was then that his long fingers withdrew from the box, as if the obi's smooth surface was scalding. The hands retreated into the sleeves of his yukata, and he turned away. After all this time, she was repairing herself. Without him. Maybe it would be best if...

Hiashi started for the door, adding over his shoulder, "You may do whatever you wish, my daughter. You can live wherever you want, no matter if you continue to be part of the Hyuuga clan or not. You are yours, as Neji is his own, and Hanabi hers. Only know that if you still wish to be the next leader that you should contact the clan once a month."

Once the solemn-faced man was gone, Neji seemed to loosen, groaning softly like an old man complaining about his aching joints. Then he was on Hinata, crushing her in a hug he'd been meaning to give her for years and years. He said quickly, "You did it, Hinata. Thank you." And then, stepping back from the frozen girl, he added, "And TenTen, you can come out now."

From the hallway came TenTen, her smile almost wider than her face. Her brown eyes sparked as she hugged Hinata as well, swaying the overwhelmed koinichi from side to side in her happiness. She laughed loudly, "You did so well, Hinata-chan! You went all wriggle-bam on your Father and you broke free and you did it so well!"

Before TenTen could crush Hinata to death in a bout of love, Neji pulled the brown-haired girl away from his cousin and coughed. Awkward now that he had expressed himself, the male Hyuuga muttered his farewells and dragged TenTen out with him. After Naruto's apartment door had closed, the blonde ninja helped Hinata back to his bed, sitting down next her with a satisfied sigh. His blue eyes seeming to burst genuine happiness for Hinata, he added, "I really want to see you in that kimono one day, too."

Hinata blushed, smiling sweetly before sliding closer to Naruto. She took hold of his hand and bent her head upward slightly to whisper in a voice so pure that the air around them nearly stole it away, "You will,"

**The end, actually. No, I'm not kidding. I'm so sorry to have held it off in front of y'all for so long; I had to move to a different state and go to Japan for two weeks before I could finish it. Since Naruto and Hinata actually got together in the process of this fic being completed, I didn't think it was necessary to go into the future and prattle on about their marriage and kids and Naruto becoming Hokage.... I'll leave that to you. thank you to the following for staying true when all else abandoned me:**

**TheGravityWizard-- Dude, for that one reason you kicked my ass in gear and went from a Regular to an Awesome Zippy-Pants. **

**Please comment, and although my fics will become increasingly sparse as I go through yet another transitional period according to the move, I hope to get back to writing for y'all again. Any requests can be mentioned whenever,**


	16. Epilogue

**I realized that I left y'all on a rather mediocre note for the end of this fic, so I decided that now that I've settled into my new house that I should add on to the end, just to close it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Epilogue

A boy sat on the swing underneath the tree, kicking his legs back and forth absentmindedly as he studied the ants crawling around underneath his shoes. He paused as a particularly small ant forded a gulch he'd dug with his foot, a bit of green leaf clasped in his pincers. _Little guy.... _He thought, then glared up at the tree's foliage, frowning. It was past five already; the sun was beginning to droop towards the western end of the sky. They should've been there almost twenty minutes ago... Even old Iruka-sensei had left...

The boy punted a rock, his face miserable. Papa was always busy, Aunt and Uncle only came for him when Mama couldn't. But today, not even pink-haired Aunt and sullen-faced Uncle with his black eyes that warmed whenever Hideaki or Kaede were near...

Now frustrated with being treated as a child, the boy stood and ran in the direction to his home. He knew his way home, it wasn't like he was a helpless scaredy-cat like Hideaki always said. Come to mention it, Hideaki only called him that because their fathers called each other that when they were sparring. But why, oh why, did he cry when he felt forgotten?

He wiped his eyes on his shirt's sleeve and ran past the Ichikaru ramen shop where Mama and Papa and he would go every Sunday for lunch, Mama leaning into Papa's arm with her sunlight smile. He stumbled at the corner, then wheeled to the left, going past the rickety building that Papa always pointed out to him, saying with flashing blue eyes, "That's where Papa lived, Isamu."

Then he was home, standing in the open doorway of the modest house attached to the outer wall of Mama's place where she grew up. Isamu rubbed his silvery-blue eyes vigorously, his dark hair catching the sun in little mahogany places. When he was younger, Papa would stroke his hair and tell him that he'd gotten Gradma's hair, only much much darker. Grandma was dead, but Papa loved her a lot. But he loved Isamu more.

Uncle Neji was the Hyuuga clan leader, bringing the Head and Branch families together. Mama had tried to explain it to him whenever the little boy would ask questions, but Isamu never understood. It didn't seem to need to be understood, in his mind. Isamu would go through the back door in his home and into the courtyard of the Hyuuga Compound for lessons with Uncle Neji and Aunt TenTen. He wanted to be like Aunt TenTen when he grew up; strong, cheerful, and bold. And soon Isamu would be a ninja too. In four years, sure, but that was soon, right?

Mama was leader with Uncle Neji, but she didn't like acting like it. Mama was always at Papa's back, holding him up strong, doing things for him that Papa only noticed much later. Papa was leader too, but instead of just the Hyuugas, he led _everybody_. He'd grumble about paperwork at night and Mama would laugh at him, brushing sable hair from her face as she did so. They would talk about the Fifth Hokage with merry eyes, tell Isamu stories about silly things and serious things. They'd talk about the Fourth Hokage too, Grandpa. Grandpa Hokage was a serious thing.

The little boy stepped into his home, calling, "Mama! Papa! I'm home!" No one replied, so he went into the Hyuuga Compound, adding Uncle Neji and Aunt tenTen to the names he called. Finally, desperate, he checked the kitchen where Mama might be, not hearing him over the oven. Mama wasn't there, but someone else was.

The silver-haired old man turned at Isamu's entrance, his hands tucked neatly into his yukata. Isamu froze, eyes wide. Grandpa.

"Wh-...Where's Mama?"

"She and your father went to get you. Did they not come home with you?"

"No... I got here myself."

Isamu's chest puffed out proudly. Grandpa walked over to him and squatted, his white eyes now at the same level as Isamu's. Suddenly, the craggy face broke into a smile and the old man said, taking Isamu's hand, "Let's go look for them."

The two left the kitchens, holding hands and calling, "Mama! Papa!"

Behind them, a lavender-eyes woman who had stood undetected at a door with a bag of flour in her hands smiled a sunlight smile.

**Better? Uzumaki Hyuuga Isamu, Uchiha Hideaki and Uchiha Kaede. Yes, kids. **


End file.
